The Formative Years
by FalconStorm
Summary: Placed after my fic 'Legacy of Hellsing'. Growing up in the Hellsing household is...interesting, especially when your favorite person is a centuries-old vampire with a twisted sense of right and wrong. Just how will Hellsing's new heir develop when Alucard is the only one she really listens to? Rated 'T' because...well...it's Hellsing.
1. No Fear

Welcome to 'The Formative Years'. This is, in essence, a collection of drabbles that I will be adding to as ideas come to me and get written. These events take place after 'Legacy of Hellsing' and I highly recommend reading that before starting here.

Please enjoy. Standard disclaimer applies. I don't own Hellsing. That honor belongs to Kohta Hirano.

**No Fear**

"Alucard wants _what_ in his room?"

"A bed." Integra folded her hands in front of her, elbows resting on the arms of her office chair. She smirked at the dumbfounded look on Matheson's face. She'd already had the chance to recover from her shock in private.

"But…_why_? Has he _ever_ asked for a bed? He has his coffin."

"It's for Jezebel. She keeps showing up down there and she risks taking a chill sleeping on his coffin or the stone floor."

The butler scowled for a moment, but only for a moment. With a supreme act of will, he smoothed his features into careful indifference and pushed his shoulders back. His chin lifted and a look of haughty superiority settled over his face.

"As you request, madam, but perhaps I might suggest instead locking the vampire's door so she _can't_ sneak in?"

Integra chuckled.

"Do that and you'll only find her sleeping outside his door in addition to dealing with an irritated ten year old girl and her favorite vampire."

"I should think that the whims of a _child_ and a _servant_ would not dictate the decisions of the master of the house."

Integra's light mirth vanished and her right eyebrow lowered dangerously, the other one hidden behind her eye patch.

"I would be careful with such comments, Matheson. You have served me faithfully for over thirty years, but your attitude toward Alucard is beginning to border on insubordination. You never had this problem with Seras."

Matheson sniffed, looking down his hooked nose at her. He reminded her of some of the more pompous members of the round table.

"Alucard is _not_ Seras." That made Integra laugh again.

"No. No, he's not. Just get the bed down there."

"Yes, madam."

Matheson bowed, every line of his body screaming disapproval. Integra ignored that as she turned to look out her office window. He could have a point. Jezebel's attachment to Alucard could become a cause for concern. Already, Integra had noticed a lack of fear or respect for the terrible power a vampire could wield. She couldn't let the child continue believing that all vampires were like Alucard and Seras, or even that Alucard would be so docile without his seals. Thinking like that could get her killed some day. But how to impress upon her the danger a vampire could present without putting her in harm's way?

She supposed she could make Alucard vamp out on the girl, but she had no desire to terrify her that badly. With her delicate mental state, it could break her…permanently. She would have to sleep on it.

V^^^V

"Alucard, I need your help." The vampire flopped into a chair in front of Integra's desk and lifted an eyebrow. "Jezebel is not afraid of you or Seras."

Alucard's lips twitched in a small smile.

"I had noticed." He sounded proud. Did he not understand the implications?

"That's going to cause a problem, Alucard. How can she run Hellsing if she doesn't understand that the things we hunt are intrinsically evil? You and Seras are the _exception_ to the rule, not the norm. By her age, I knew what vampires could do and had a healthy respect for them."

"Oh, she respects what a vampire is capable of. Trust me." Alucard grinned with a knowing look behind those orange lenses. "But, if it would make you feel better, I can attempt to frighten her."

"I don't know that that's a good idea," Integra said, shaking her head. "She's so…attached to you. It could seriously harm her psyche if you became a figure of terror for her. Perhaps Seras…but Seras would feel _horrible_ frightening a young girl."

Alucard laughed, a great series of guffaws tinged with a touch of insanity. He reached up to remove his spectacles and wipe away red tears of mirth.

"Oh, my master. You underestimate the girl. Let me vamp out on her and you will see what Jezebel is made of." Definitely pride in his voice. Integra scowled at her servant. What did he know that she didn't?

"I don't want her broken."

"I assure you, she will recover." Alucard grinned. "Would I put your heir at risk? If you pass without an acceptable heir, the seals will lock me away until someone comes along with the knowledge and power to break them. Do you really think I would risk that?"

"I _never_ know what you would risk…but you have a point. You value what freedom you have under the seals. Very well."

V^^^V

They brought Jezebel to the gym in the barracks for Alucard's demonstration. Integra sat her down in the bleachers. Jezebel looked up at her with wide eyes. She knew something important was going on. Integra looked so grave.

"Jezebel, we're here to have Alucard show you something very important. We need you to understand just what vampires are capable of. I feel like you don't realize how evil they are, or how powerful. This will be frightening, but I promise he won't hurt you. I won't let him."

Jezebel glanced over to the vampire who stood, smirking, in the middle of the gym's basketball court.

"I know Alu won't hurt me."

Integra suppressed a sigh. That, right there, was the attitude that had her so worried.

"Alucard, release to level one, demonstration purposes only. No kills are permitted."

"Yes, my master." The voice echoed around the gym walls, as though it came from a hundred directions at the same time. The display started at the hem of his duster as it melted into snaking black tendrils that creeped over the floor and up the walls. The vampire's laugh echoed around the room as hundreds of eyes opened in the inky darkness. The tendrils crept across the ceiling and engulfed the lights, plunging the entire building into darkness. The only light came from the demonic red glow of hundreds of eyes blinking in the darkness.

Alucard's manic, fanged grin appeared below a particular set of eyes, opening wide with his manic laugh. Integra shuddered, thinking of all the people that had died to those fangs. Most of those in the last century had deserved their deaths, but Alucard's conscience didn't really exist. It depended solely on the morals of his master.

Next to her, Jezebel looked around, eyes wide and curious. A small smile turned her lips. Integra felt her jaw drop just a little in shock.

"I see I will have to teach you _fear_, little girl!" Alucard's voice boomed around the room, laced with anticipatory malice. The fangs and eyes swooped down on them, snarling in sadistic glee. Integra fought the urge to draw her sword and scramble out of the way, although the fangs obviously weren't aiming for her. It was a normal, _human_ reaction to the predator swooping down on them.

Jezebel stood and Integra thought that, maybe, just maybe, the girl had finally found her fear and would run.

"Alu!" The girl giggled…_giggled_…and held her arms up toward the snarling beast, like a child asking to be held. Alucard stopped just short of the girl and the lights came back as his eyes and darkness retreated into his physical form, leaving a very smug grin plastered to his face. As soon as there was something physical to latch onto, Jezebel attached herself to his legs in a bear hug.

Alucard stooped to gather the girl in his arms. She wrapped her arms around this neck and squeezed. Integra blinked at them.

"This is not the first time Jezebel has seen my level one release. It happened at the abbey." Jezebel sat back in Alucard's arms.

"Alu saved me. His shadows made the bad priests bleed for me. Now, they'll never hurt me again."

Integra watched the child and vampire interact and felt a chill slide down her spine. Maybe it wasn't Jezebel's lack of fear she should be worried about, but the level of empathy that the child had with Alucard. What would happen to England…the world…if Alucard's bonds fell into the hands of a human that thought just like he did?

"I think ethics and morals training may be in order…immediately."

Alucard's laugh followed her out of the gym as she headed for her office to arrange a new tutor for Jezebel.


	2. First Christmas 1: An Outing

**I had to. I just had to. Jezebel has never had a decent Christmas in her life, so the next…err…FIVE drabbles are going to be Christmas related. I *swear* I did not originally intend to do this many. It just kept growing…and growing… o.O Don't ask about the one for Christmas day. It's already looking to be twice the length of my normal chapters. *sigh***

**Jezebel's First Christmas Chapter 1: An Outing**

Jezebel peered around at the hustle and bustle filling the downtown streets of Waltham Abbey. Shoppers hurried to and fro with bags hanging from arms and rosy cheeks in the November chill. The girl reached out to snatch a fistful of Integra's calf-length coat, causing the woman to look down at her heir.

There wasn't much to see. Used to the more temperate Italian climate, Jezebel didn't like to step outside in the chill English weather with anything less than three layers of clothing. She wore a warm, woolen jacket with matching hat, scarf and mittens. Only her hair showed, propped up by the scarf snugged up against the back of her neck. She clutched Integra's coat in her mittened hand and edged closer to the woman.

"Frightened?"

The girl looked up, eyes narrowed. She shook her head and stepped away, letting go of the coat. Integra frowned. She could have sworn that was the action of a frightened child. Was Jezebel offended by the question?

"It's okay, Jezebel."

This time, she wrapped her arms around herself, hunched her shoulders and tucked her chin into her chest. Integra sighed.

"Would you like some hot cocoa?"

With the subject off of her frightened behavior, the girl looked up, a puzzled expression on her face. Integra wished she would say something. Although she spoke with Alucard willingly enough, she shied away from speaking with other authority figures, especially since the demon had been ousted from her mind. Maybe she didn't view Alucard as an authority figure? Integra had to suppress a smirk at that thought.

"Do you know what hot cocoa is?"

Jezebel shook her head.

"Well, you're about to find out."

Integra led the way to a vendor on the corner selling hot cocoa made with real milk and real cocoa powder. Jezebel looked on with curiosity as she ordered two cups.

Matheson had suggested this outing after Integra expressed concern about Jezebel spending all her free time with Alucard. She didn't normally do much shopping of her own, leaving that in Matheson's capable hands, but Christmas was in just over a month. This would be the first time they had a child in the Hellsing mansion since she, herself, was a child. Seras was already ecstatic, making plans for decking the basement out in Christmas decorations and convincing Jezebel that Santa would come on Christmas Eve.

Integra glanced down at the girl as she handed the cup of hot cocoa down. Somehow, she didn't think Jezebel would fall for the old, benign lie. No more than _she_ had, by the age of ten. Still, Seras could have fun trying, and belief in Santa notwithstanding, they would be celebrating. Celebrating Christmas meant gifts and Integra had no idea what Jezebel might want.

Jezebel wrapped her mittened hands around the Styrofoam cup and brought it to her lips.

"Careful! It's hot."

The girl paused with just her lips resting on the cup. She inhaled the steam drifting up off the liquid and took a careful sip. Pulling back, she looked up with wide eyes.

"It's good!"

Integra smiled and sipped from her own cup. They stood together on the street corner as the woman looked around, assessing the shops on the square. When Jezebel sidled closer to her, away from the milling crowd, she carefully didn't notice.

"I suppose the toy store is a logical place to start," Integra said, pointing at a store across the street with a sign above the door that read 'Toye Shoppe'. Jezebel shrugged but followed willingly enough as Integra led the way across the street.

The bell over the door rang as they entered but it was barely audible over the low rumbling of the packed store. Integra looked down in surprise as the girl suddenly pressed against her leg. She glanced around at the crowd of humanity, all talking and moving amongst the crammed aisles and felt a touch of her own aversion. Apparently, they weren't the only ones with the idea to go Christmas shopping this weekend.

"Do you see anything you want to look at?"

Jezebel shook her head vehemently. With a guilty feeling of relief, Integra reached back to open the door and heard the bells chime again as someone else beat her to it. A harried looking woman with two squalling children pushed her way past them, performing a double take at Integra's patched eye. Yet another reason she didn't like crowds.

Jezebel slipped behind her and out the door. Worried the girl intended to make a break for it, Integra didn't bother to apologize as she pushed her way back outside. Jezebel waited for her at the curb, clutching the cup of hot cocoa in front of her like a shield. It was a miracle she hadn't spilled it, scurrying out the door like that.

"Perhaps, just some window shopping."

Turning, Integra started down the street, peering in windows as she went. Jezebel followed her example, finishing off the last of her cooling hot cocoa. Integra watched her, hoping to see her react to _something_ with more than just passing interest. They had already supplied toys for her that she barely touched. She hadn't shown much interest in television or music. Surely there was _something_ that would interest the child.

Peering in at an antique store, Integra spotted a Celtic cross on a heavy silver chain. If the icon had a high silver content, she could see about having it blessed so she could present it as a gift to Matheson. It might make him feel more comfortable around Alucard.

Stepping through the door, she made sure Jezebel followed her and approached the shop owner about the cross. Jezebel looked around the shop as her guardian talked to its owner. Porcelain cups and teapots sat in a glass display case. A polished wooden buffet sat next to it with an array of silver spoons and its own price tag. Behind it sat a veritable field of quilt racks with requisite quilts.

A plastic case in the middle of the store displayed a motley assortment of jewelry that looked like it had pieces from every era in human history, back to the stone age. One piece caught her eye, a copper disk, roughly the size of a large coin and almost completely covered over in verdigris. It had an off-center image of a writhing dragon stamped into it. She pressed a hand to the plastic of the case, trying to get a closer look.

"Don't touch the case, little girl."

Jezebel looked up to see the shop owner scowling at her. Her forehead furrowed with her own scowl, but she pulled her hand away. Integra looked up from examining the cross.

"What is it, Jezebel?"

The girl pointed at her handprint on the case. Integra set the cross down and came over to peer through the plastic.

"Is there something you like in there?"

The girl nodded.

"Sir, if you would kindly open the case so she can show me what she wants?"

"She's just a child," the man said with a dark frown. "Some of those are valuable antiques."

Integra gave the man a piercing look, her single blue eye narrowing. He shivered. He'd never met a more intense woman. Thoroughly cowed by a single look, he fetched the keys for the case from behind the counter and hurried over to open it. Glaring at him, Jezebel snatched the piece from inside as soon as she could reach it and held it up for Integra's inspection.

"For Alu."

Integra took the piece from the girl and turned it over in her hand. She'd seen something like it before, although she couldn't remember exactly where. The off-center stamp and layer of verdigris marked it as relatively old and probably a genuine antique. It _did_ look like something Alucard might like and the vampire was notoriously hard to buy for. In the past, she had fallen back on offering him a taste from her veins, almost every year.

"Do you want to get it for him?"

Jezebel nodded and a smile stretched across her face, the first that Integra had seen from her when not in Alucard's presence. Integra returned the smile.

"We'll take it, and the cross."

V^^^V

Jezebel marched down the sidewalk, a small paper bag clutched in her hands and a wide smile stretched across her face. The bauble had cost a pretty penny, apparently being a true antique complete with certificate. Integra understood, now, why the shop owner's eyes had bulged out of his head when Jezebel grabbed it out of the case. The cross for Matheson had cost considerably less, but if Alucard liked the medallion and it made Jezebel happy, Integra counted it as money well spent.

They had canvassed three sides of the square, and aside from the gift for Alucard, Jezebel hadn't shown any interest in anything else. Integra had picked up a matching set of gloves, hat and scarf for Seras. After buying for the blond vampire for thirty years, she'd learned what the draculina liked.

They turned the last corner and Integra gave the hot cocoa vendor on the far corner a speculative look. Her hands were beginning to feel like blocks of ice and another cup of hot cocoa sounded like an excellent idea. She almost didn't notice Jezebel's steps slow, but she had been keeping tabs on the girl out of the corner of her eye. She looked down as she drew even with the child and realized Jezebel had the most poignant look of longing on her face that she'd ever seen.

Integra looked through the window that Jezebel peered so longingly into and felt her heart sink. A pet shop. And in the front window…puppies, with big paws, floppy ears…drool and shedding fur.

Jezebel looked up at Integra with huge eyes that could be blue copies of those on the other side of the window. The woman sighed and her shoulders slumped.

"Let's go inside."


	3. First Christmas 2: Naughty or Nice

**Jezebel's First Christmas Chapter 2: Naughty or Nice**

Matheson sneezed as he made his way down the front stairs. Blinking watery eyes, he sniffed and glared at the garlands of evergreen that graced the banisters. Although Hellsing decorated for Christmas every year, this was the first time they'd used real evergreen as opposed to artificial. Seras had insisted and didn't seem to care that it made him sneeze.

A dark chuckle drifted from the side of the stairs and the butler's back stiffened. He hastened his steps to return the tray in his hands to the kitchen. He hated how much the ancient vampire frightened him, but no amount of logic could reason with his fear. It didn't help that Alucard delighted in startling him in the creepiest ways he could think of. Damn vampire.

As the butler fled, a high-pitched giggle joined the dark chuckle.

"He's so funny!" Jezebel grinned as she watched Matheson hurry toward the kitchen.

"Frightened humans often are." The vampire smiled down at the human girl, approving of her delight in the butler's fear. She grinned up at him and reached for his gloved hand. He let her take it and curled his long fingers around her palm.

"Alu, Miss Seras said all this is for Christmas," she said, gesturing at the evergreen decorations. "Is that true?"

"It is."

"And she said Santa would come down the chimney on Christmas Eve."

"That's what they say."

Jezebel shivered and moved closer to the vampire to press against his leg. The smile faded from his face as he looked down at the young Hellsing with puzzlement. Didn't children like Christmas?

"Will you protect me from Santa, Alu?"

The red eyes grew wide at the unusual request.

"I will not let anyone harm you, little master."

She shivered again and nodded.

"Will you visit me on Christmas, Alu? I don't want to be alone."

Alucard frowned, confused by the girl's pleas. Admittedly, it had been decades since Integra was young enough to enjoy the holiday and he often hid himself away, averse to the religious nature of the celebration, but this seemed…wrong. He knelt in front of the girl and lifted her chin to look into his eyes.

"Jezebel, what is it that you think will happen at Christmas?" She gave him surprised eyes; that look that said, as an adult, he should know _exactly_ what she was talking about.

"Fasting. Prayer. I don't mind saying my prayers, but I don't want to be alone all day. Please visit me, Alu?"

"Of course, little master. You will see me on Christmas. I swear it."

V^^^V

"From what I have gleaned, they locked her in her room for most religious holidays, no food, no water. She was expected to pray for forgiveness for the entire day." Alucard's red eyes glowed with his anger as he paced in front of Integra's desk. "She thinks that Santa is a demon who will come to test her and devour her if she fails the test. I haven't a clue where _that_ came from."

Integra frowned as she watched her servant pace. This nervous energy wasn't like him, but then, he was used to confronting enemies he could battle face to face. The demons of an abused child's mind eluded him.

"I would have Dr. Bernstein speak to her, but I don't think she would listen, much less discuss her fears with him. She doesn't seem to trust him. I don't know if she would listen to me, either, or even you if she's never known any other option. Did you _tell_ her that she would not be locked in her room or starved?"

"I told her she will see me on Christmas. It's what she asked for."

Integra nodded and sighed.

"Reassure her that Santa is not a…demon. For the rest, I think all we can do to convince her is to _show_ her what Christmas is all about." Integra thought about having Alucard tell the girl what to expect, but who knew how he would phrase it? In many ways, Christmas was a bit of a mystery to him as well. After all, many of _his_ childhood Christmases were spent as a political prisoner to the Turks, and then as a young vampire, the very religious nature of the holiday forced him to avoid it.

Later, Integra spoke to Seras, whose eyes went wide in shock at the realization that her tales of Santa Claus had _frightened_ the girl. That hadn't been her intent at _all_.

"Jezzie?" The blond vampire peeked into the girl's room where she was working on her assignments from her tutor, Mrs. Carringer. The girl looked up, pencil poised over her paper. Seras slipped through the door and closed it behind her.

"I…I didn't mean to scare you with stories about Santa Claus."

"I'm not scared." The girl lifted her chin, challenge in her eyes. Seras frowned. Was she so defensive she couldn't admit her fears to anyone but Alucard? Integra had run into the same problem with the child.

"It's okay to be afraid, Jezzie." The vampire sat on the edge of the girl's bed. "But Santa isn't something to be afraid of. He brings presents on Christmas Eve to all good little boys and girls."

"But I'm not good. What does he do to bad boys and girls?"

Seras frowned. She could mention coal in the stocking, but that seemed too flippant of a response. Besides, Jezebel probably didn't know of, or appreciate, the significance of stockings. Above all that, though, Seras had never met a child that automatically assumed they were bad and therefore wouldn't receive a gift from Santa. Invariably, all children had their tantrums and misbehavior, but everyone knew that would be overlooked when Christmas really did roll around.

"Ah…well…I've never heard of a child so naughty that Santa didn't bring them a gift."

Jezebel shook her head and looked back to her paper.

"Now, you have. Santa has never brought me anything at Christmas."

Of course he hadn't. Seras's heart dropped as she finally understood the twist of logic Jezebel's mind had taken. She'd told the girl that Santa brought gifts to all good boys and girls, but Jezebel had spent every Christmas she could remember locked in her room, alone.

"I think he'll bring you something this year."

Jezebel frowned at the vampire, trying to puzzle through the logic. The only thing that had changed between this year and the previous ones was her relocation from the abbey to Hellsing, and that was hardly anything _she_ had been responsible for. Even the ousting of the demon wasn't her doing, or even a direct result of good behavior on her part.

Unsure what to say, she shrugged and went back to her assignment. Seras sighed, not at all certain anything she had said would help correct the damage she had inadvertently wrought. Rising, she left the girl's room, afraid she would make things worse.

V^^^V

Jezebel's small form tossed and turned under the sheet, blanket and comforter on her bed. Her eyes danced under her eyelids, flicking back and forth with manic energy. Her features twisted in horror, fear and desperation. With a panicked gasp, her eyes opened.

For several moments, the man lurking in the chimney haunted the edges of her vision. She shook and stared into the darkness, waiting for the judgment, the condemnation, the fires of Hell. Outside her window, the cold December wind moaned.

Waking enough to break free of the constraints of the nightmare, the girl sat up in bed. Throwing the blankets back, she scrambled to the floor and ran for the door. Yanking it open, she scampered down the hall, down the stairs, a path so familiar to her feet she could run it with her eyes closed.

She slipped through the door in the basement, pulled it closed behind her and launched herself at the red-clad figure poring over a chess board lit by a single candle. Although he'd heard the girl approach, Alucard did not expect the vehemence with which she threw herself into his lap. Surprised, he looked down at the shivering form. It wasn't unusual for her to come to him when she had nightmares and a part of him that he chose not to examine too closely took pride in being the only creature that could sooth her at these times.

Pushing himself away from the game board, he smoothed a gloved hand down the girl's back. With this tacit approval, she sat up in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck in a strangle hold that would have left a human gasping for breath. She buried her face in his neck and the frantic tears of a frightened child soaked into his collar and cravat.

Sitting back in the towering, throne-like chair, the vampire wrapped his arms around the terrified girl. He didn't speak, didn't shush her or murmur empty reassurances. He simply held her and waited for her trembling to ease, stroking a gloved hand over the golden strands of her hair.

By the time her shoulders stopped shaking, more than just tears soaked his collar. Jezebel sat back, sniffling with red, aching eyes and puffy cheeks. Tears and snot dribbled from her nose. The product of a good, human crying fit certainly wasn't pretty, but it didn't stain the way his own blood tears did.

"Better now?"

Jezebel nodded and settled back against his chest, arranging herself in his lap so her head rested just under his chin. He pressed his lips against the crown of her head, inhaling to take in her scent.

"Santa again," she whispered, rubbing the remnants of her tears into the cloth of his gray suit. In a blink, his standard clothing melted into a soft white button-down shirt that would be gentler on eyes sore from crying.

"He will not harm you. Even without me there, he will not harm you."

"I know," she said softly, "but my dreams don't know. No one will tell me what he does to bad girls."

Alucard scowled. She was _not_ bad, not in the sense they had convinced her of at the abbey. She didn't believe their reassurances, though. Not truly. Not even when he said it. After all, to her mind, she hadn't changed at all from the child that had been convinced of a direct trip to Hell when she died. He clenched his teeth and held her closer.

"Santa is a human story. They tell of a kindly old elf that brings gifts to children that behave. The worst he does to those that don't behave is to leave them coal instead of gifts."

"Oh." Jezebel snuggled against him, mind percolating over all the facts she had been presented with. An interesting, if not unexpected conclusion came to her mind.

"He's not real, is he? He's just a story."

Alucard sighed. Seras would be disappointed, but he _would not_ lie to the girl.

"No, he's not real. He is a story"

Jezebel didn't ask why people would lie to their children like that. She was used to lies from adults.

"Where do the gifts come from?"

"The human parents. They maintain the façade as long as they can."

Jezebel nodded, accepting the explanation. After all, it fit her world view for adults to be duplicitous creatures. However, it did not escape her notice that Alucard had never tried to maintain the lie, only verified that what she was being told fit what parents told all children.

"Can I sleep down here tonight, Alu?"

"You may, little master."

The vampire gathered the girl in his arms and moved to the twin bed that Matheson had placed in his chambers at his request. He stretched his lanky form out on the mattress and settled the girl next to him with her head on his lap. She snuggled down as he covered her with the blanket and in the presence of the vampire, it didn't take her long to drift back off to sleep.


	4. First Christmas 3: Shopping

**Jezebel's First Christmas Chapter 3: Shopping**

A small black Christmas tree with red ribbons and white and silver decorations sat in the basement hallway just outside his door. It had white lights and clear plastic ornaments with what appeared to be blood splatters painted on the inside. He couldn't decide whether to shred it or grin. At least there weren't any stars or crosses on it. He suspected Seras had put it there, so naturally it wouldn't have anything religious on it.

Leaving the tree where it was, Alucard turned to wander down the hall, curious as to what other changes his over-excited fledgling had wrought in their subterranean home. He found another tree outside her door, this one green with white lights and blue, white and silver decorations. Starting there, the hallway sported swoops of garland with lights, ornaments and tinsel. Candy canes that the draculina couldn't eat hung from the garland. Fluffy mounds of cotton sprinkled with glitter lined the edges of her part of the hallway. He sighed. At least she had kept the glitter away from _his_ part of the basement. Glitter…_bothered_ him for some reason. Must be all that damn _light_ reflecting off it.

Hissing at the glittery cotton, but leaving it in place, he mounted the steps to the first floor of the house. The decorations continued here, more tasteful but no less prevalent. Red and green seemed to be the predominant colors with touches of gold and silver. Poinsettias lined the edges of the grand staircase and a giant conifer, easily thirteen feet tall, stood in pride of place under the front hall's chandelier. Alucard scowled up at the monstrosity, glaring about for any religious icons.

"Oh relax, Alucard." Integra stepped out of a side parlor, grinning behind the cigar clenched in her teeth. "We've only used secular decorations at Christmas for decades…for _Seras's_ sake, if not _yours_."

"I hadn't noticed," the vampire said, staring up at the massive red bow that topped the tree in place of a star or angel.

"Of course you didn't. You were _gone_ for three of those decades and when you _did_ come back, you went back to your old habit of hiding out in the dungeons for the entire month of December."

Alucard blinked at his master, refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing in his past behavior.

"What _are_ you doing up here, anyway?"

"I promised Jezebel she would see me on Christmas. I had to know what I will be contending with."

Integra snorted.

"It's not a battle. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're _afraid_ of Christmas!"

She didn't get the vehement objection to that statement that she expected. Instead, the vampire gazed up at the tree, speculation writ across his features.

"Perhaps you are right. But…I'm not sure 'fear' is the correct term. 'Disgust' seems much more appropriate. Although, I must admit, in the past, Christmas was a most…uncomfortable time for me."

Integra's eye widened. She wondered if he referred to his time as a human or as a young vampire, susceptible to the religious icons that would have been prevalent at that time of year. She didn't dare ask. That he had said as much as he had was a minor miracle in and of itself.

"Well, you can relax. You know very well we use our religious items for defensive purposes only."

Alucard chuckled.

"Is _that_ why you always carry a cross somewhere about you?"

Integra reached up to touch the cross-shaped pin stuck in her tie. It was true she always wore that or the silver cross on a chain currently tucked under her shirt.

"One can never be too careful. Besides, you shed your vulnerability to holy items long ago. I've seen you touch them, even carry them around in your _teeth_!"

Alucard laughed, his lips pulled back in a manic grin that bared those monstrous fangs and sharp, pointed teeth.

"You misunderstand, my master. I have not _shed_ the vulnerability. I have simply gained the ability to _corrupt_ anything I touch. But your items…" He reached out to touch her pin. As his fingers came near, a wisp of smoke drifted up and the acrid stench of burned flesh filled the air around them. He pulled his hand back without actually touching the pin and rubbed his fingers against his thumb as though they ached. "_Your_ items are meticulously maintained, as you do with all of your weapons, the blessings renewed…_religiously_. Although I _could_ corrupt them, if pressed, it would take a considerable expenditure of power."

"One you're not willing to pay?"

"That depends." Those teeth leered at her. "If the end result is worth the effort…"

He left the sentence hanging and Integra stepped back, her mind flicking over what end results might be worth it to her vampire to put forth such effort. Several things came to mind, but she couldn't be certain of any of them. She had never managed to predict what he might do in a capricious mood, with the obvious exception of those things the seals limited him on. Once, she'd thought she could trust her expectations of him…until he had destroyed an entire crowd of rioters in a fit of anger, forcing her to recreate the seals that had dropped from him during his thirty year absence. No, she had given up trying to predict him a long time ago.

At a loss for words, Integra inhaled a lungful of smoke and sent it streaming in the vampire's direction. He grinned at her through the haze and she narrowed her eyes at him, sending a pulse along the ropes of the bond, exerting her dominance over him. Alucard closed his eyes, swaying as though it wasn't a warning she had sent down their bond. Smiling, he opened those red eyes again, but he wasn't looking at her. His gaze shifted to the second floor and without a word, he headed for the stairs.

Shaking her head, Integra looked back at the tree. He might pretend to nonchalance, but she knew capitulation when she saw it. Sighing, she stared up at the ribbons trailing down the towering conifer, still trying to decide what to get Jezebel for the holiday.

V^^^V

"We should go shopping, master."

Seras stood in his doorway, grinning like a mad leprechaun. Wait. Wrong holiday. Maybe an elf?

"Why would I want to do such a thing?"

Seras's face fell.

"Christmas is coming. We need to get presents for everyone."

Alucard lifted an eyebrow as he sipped from his blood packet. He'd never, ever bought Christmas presents…for anyone. Even as a human, he'd left Christmas in the capable hands of his wife and retainers. In his time, war did not wait for Christmas. Seras drooped further.

"You should at least get something for Jezzie, master."

Alucard frowned, thinking about the little girl. Christmas was still an enigma for her, although the nightmares about Santa seemed to have petered off. He had never bought anything for Integra when she was a child, but Walter had been there to take care of that. He thought about Matheson buying gifts for Jezebel and scowled. The man wouldn't have the first clue what to get her.

The idea of shopping slowly grew more appealing, but a new problem presented itself. Hellsing provided all of his wants and needs. He hadn't had personal money of his own since before Van Helsing bound him.

"It's difficult to shop without money."

"Oh, that's no problem. Sir Integra gave me permission to use the Hellsing credit cards."

Alucard sighed, but he couldn't think of any other excuses…and who else knew Jezebel well enough to get her something appropriate for her first Christmas with people who actually _cared_ about her? Tossing the empty blood packet aside, he rose from his chair.

"Very well. We will…shop."

Seras grinned, once again the demented elf, and bounced in anticipation.

V^^^V

Humans were _loud_. He'd forgotten just how loud they could be.

Alucard glared around the massive building, red eyes hidden behind his trademark orange sunglasses, but bereft of his red duster and fedora. As much as he adored them, they were over a century out of style and simply _wouldn't_ blend in, here.

The walls of this place…lined with store fronts, two level's worth…echoed with the dull roar of hundreds of talking, screaming humans. The warmth of their bodies and scent of their blood made him salivate and strain at the bonds that kept him from ripping their throats out. It would be so _easy_…

"Master? Master!"

Alucard looked down at his fledgling, snapping out of his pleasant daydream.

"Where should we start?"

The vampire looked around, ignoring the throng and analyzing the stores. Clothing, clothing, bath essentials? More clothing. Jewelry…possibilities there, if they had the right thing… Video games, shoes, hats, more clothing. Candles? Toys…no. She didn't care about toys. He shook his head.

"This is not a good place to shop for Jezebel."

Seras frowned, looking around as well.

"We could get her some clothes."

"You may. What do I know of children's clothing?"

Seras giggled.

"I see your point, master. So…what did you have in mind?"

Alucard looked around again and his eyes fell on the jewelry store. The front displays showed men's watches, engagement rings and strands of pearls with matching earrings. He hissed under his breath.

"Nothing here. Shop for what you want, police girl. I will go elsewhere."

"Are you _ever_ going to stop calling me that?"

Alucard grinned.

"No."

They left the mall with enough clothes to afford Jezebel a new outfit every day for a month, a tennis bracelet with matching earrings for Integra and more toys that the child wouldn't touch. Honestly…_baby dolls_? Seras obviously didn't know a thing about the girl.

The blond vampire piled her finds into the trunk of the Volkswagon they had come in. Alucard looked around the dimly lit parking garage, once again chafing under the restrictions of the seals.

"Where to, now, master?"

"I want…a book store. Preferably an old one."

Seras frowned, wracking her brain. She rarely went anywhere but the mall. Maybe Integra should have come with Alucard. Except, she didn't shop much either. Matheson had obviously been out of the question.

"I _think_ there might be one downtown. But, why don't we get her an e-reader if you want to get her books?"

"That's a possibility, but I want a store that sells physical books."

"Alright. We'll see if we can find one."

They drove for most of an hour before they found a used book store with weathered tomes stacked up in the windows. Seras eyed it doubtfully when Alucard pointed it out. She didn't think they would find anything for a little girl in there, but she obediently parked the car.

Inside, the elderly shop owner gave them a nervous look, but didn't say anything as Alucard swept in and began perusing the shelves. It didn't take him long to find his prize.

"The Chronicles of Narnia?" Seras frowned, looking over the set of worn, hard-bound novels.

"Arthur loved these books when he was a child, before his hormones interfered with his common sense."

"Really? Were you close to Integra's dad?"

"No."

Seras waited for him to elaborate, but the black haired vampire turned to go to the cash register with the books. She huffed in frustration and chased after him. Alucard paused for one additional purchase at the book store: a thousand piece puzzle of a rearing unicorn set against a night sky. They paid for the purchases and left.

Outside the store, Alucard glanced around. The shop sat along a row of stores that leaned to antiquities and oddities. Rather than heading for the car, he stalked down the sidewalk, eyeing the windows as though they concealed hidden prey. Seras sighed and followed. This certainly wasn't _her_ kind of shopping area.

The ancient vampire paused outside a store that specialized in engraving. Smiling, he ducked inside. They offered everything from baby spoons to fiftieth anniversary keepsakes. It only took a few minutes to find the last gift he wanted to get for the little girl, but Matheson would have to pick it up next week since they couldn't complete the engraving that night.

Satisfied, the vampires returned home to face the next challenge…wrapping.

**End note:**

**I am so, so tempted to create the Alucard Christmas tree. I actually own a black Christmas tree and know exactly how I'd do the ornaments with the blood splatters. Too bad my cats would destroy it as soon as I got it put up. Lol.**

**Thank you to all the folks leaving reviews. I'm getting so many on this story! It makes me so happy. I'm trying to send PMs in response to the reviews because I realized in Legacy of Hellsing, the responses were really over bloating the word count. I hope no one minds since that means I can't respond to a review that doesn't have an account attached. Love you all!**


	5. First Christmas 4: Beginning Traditions

**Author's Note: This chapter is so sickly cute, it may cause cavities and tooth sensitivity due to sugary sweetness. Consider yourself forewarned. *grin***

**Jezebel's First Christmas Ch. 4: Beginning Traditions**

Jezebel stared at the Christmas tree in the front parlor, eyes wide. Smaller than its towering cousin in the front hall, it nevertheless had more room under its bottom most branches to allow for the veritable ocean of boxes wrapped in bright paper. She shifted that wide-eyed look to the vampire at her side.

"What are those, Alu?"

"Those are Christmas gifts." The girl gasped and edged behind him a touch. He scowled down at her. "_Not_ from Santa."

Jezebel relaxed and stepped back out from behind the vampire.

"Who are they from?"

"The boxes are labeled with who they're from and who they're for."

"Oh." The young girl moved toward the tree, eyes wide with curiosity. She'd wondered what happened to the item she picked out to give Alucard. Had Integra wrapped it and put it under the tree?

"They are not to be opened until Christmas day."

"Okay."

She reached for the first one and found the tag.

"It's for me! From…Miss Seras?"

Alucard smiled and sat in an arm chair near the tree.

"I think many of them are yours, from Seras."

"Really?"

They were supposed to be going to the kitchen to make Christmas cookies with Seras, Integra and the cook, but if Jezebel wanted to inspect her gifts, Alucard wasn't about to stop her. He leaned back, watching with hooded eyes as the child sorted through the gifts, stacking them in piles.

Integra and Seras found them there half an hour later, Jezebel sitting in the middle of a mine field of wrapped boxes. Integra crossed her arms and scowled at the tableau, searching the gifts for torn paper, but finding nothing. Seras gaped for a moment before finding her voice.

"Jezzie! What are you doing?" The girl looked up, oblivious to the censure in the vampire's voice.

"There's so many. For me." The wonder in Jezebel's voice wiped the irritated looks from the faces of the two females. Alucard chuckled.

"Time to put them back, little master."

Immediately, the child began collecting the gifts and returning them to the tree skirt. They might not look as orderly as they had when she was done, but they all made it back under the tree. Alucard grinned at his master as the girl worked, daring her to reprimand them for looking at the gifts. Integra glared at him, unwilling to yell at the child but more than prepared to give the vampire a piece of her mind. Later.

"Are you ready to make cookies, Jezzie?" Seras smiled at Jezebel. She didn't care about the gifts, so long as they weren't opened prematurely.

Jezebel nodded, but looked to Alucard before joining the women. Grinning, he rose and stood, arms at his sides. The child reached up to take his gloved hand and his fingers wrapped around hers as though he held hands with children all the time. Integra frowned, trying to remember if he'd held her hand as a child. She couldn't remember a single incident, but then, she never reached for him.

Alucard gestured for them to lead the way. Seras bounced out of the doorway, beating a path to the kitchen. Integra let the ancient vampire pass her by before trailing after them. Her eyes remained on those joined hands. Was she jealous? No. Just confused…and maybe a little regretful.

Margaret Smith, the Hellsing cook and housekeeper waited for them in the kitchen. Heat radiated from the ovens and the central island counter held flour, sugar, eggs and butter, with bowls and wooden spoons laid out.

Jezebel's eyes drifted over the array with avid curiosity. Alucard released her hand as she wandered to the step stool that sat next to the counter. He retired to a chair in the corner of the room and pulled his hat down over his eyes so his face stayed in shadow. Margaret gave him a nervous glance, but pointedly ignored him as she smiled at the girl. Seras grinned from ear to ear as she leaned against the island counter.

"Have you ever made cookies, young Miss?"

Jezebel shook her head and watched with wide eyes as the cook reached for a bowl and a package of flour.

They made sugar cookies, heavy on the flour so the dough wouldn't squish or stick to a rolling pin. They rolled the dough out and used cookie cutters shaped like trees, stars, candy canes and holly wreaths to form the cookies. There were snowflakes and snowmen, reindeer and stuffed bears. Jezebel grinned as she pressed the cutters into the dough and Seras transferred them to a baking sheet. Integra carried the pan to the oven while they moved on to the next batch. In the background, instrumental Christmas music played.

With all of the batches done and the first two already out of the oven and cooling on wire racks, they cleared off the central island. Margaret brought out more eggs and powdered sugar. She showed them how to separate the yolks from the egg whites and beat the egg whites until they looked like a roiling ocean. They added the sugar to make icing for the cookies. Separating the icing out into smaller bowls, they added food coloring to make green, red, yellow and blue. Jezebel stole a fingerful of icing to stick it in her mouth and Seras tickled her as her punishment. Alucard looked up at the sudden eruption of giggles from the young girl with a finger stuck in her mouth. A tolerant smile stretched across his features.

"Alu! Come decorate cookies with us!"

Seras and Integra looked up, curious what the capricious vampire would do with the request. Alucard peered out at the little girl over his sunglasses and bared his fangs at her. She giggled.

"My cookie decorating skills have grown dusty over the centuries. I could never compare to a young girl like _you_, little master."

Jezebel giggled again, grinning like a fiend, but she didn't push the issue. Alucard retreated to the shadow under his hat brim as they moved the icing, cooled cookies and various bottles of decorations to the huge wooden table on the other side of the kitchen island.

Jezebel settled in to create a colossal mess with help from Seras and Integra. Margaret moved to the kitchen island to clean up and set a pot of cider to warm on the stove while she made some sandwiches for Integra and Jezebel's dinner.

After an hour of decorating, they paused for dinner and a couple of freshly baked cookies. Margaret presented Alucard and Seras with a bottle of blood warmed in a pot of water. Fed and a little sleepy, they went back to decorating. As the last couple of finished cookies made it back on the wire racks to set, Matheson cleared his throat form the doorway.

"The car is warmed and a route planned for Christmas light touring."

Integra looked up, smiling.

"Very good. We'll be right out."

Jezebel gave the woman a questioning look. Seras spoke up.

"Christmas light touring. We'll drive around, looking at all the Christmas lights people have put up on their houses and listen to Christmas music."

"Is Alu coming?"

They all looked at the red-clad vampire in the corner. He could have been asleep but for the tapping of one gloved finger against the chair arm.

"Matheson will be driving?"

"Yes," said Integra, not completely certain she should be admitting to that.

"Then I will go."

V^^^V

Alucard insisted on sitting in the front seat, next to Matheson, with Jezebel on his lap. Integra protested, but the vampire pointed out that the trip was for the girl and the best view would be from the front seat, and then Jezebel refused to sit anywhere but in Alucard's lap.

"It's a conspiracy…between a vampire and a ten year old." Integra muttered to herself as said vampire folded himself into the car and pulled the girl onto his lap. She _could_ argue that a child riding in a lap in the front seat of a car was dangerous, but she knew where that argument would get her. Even she knew that with the vampire holding her, even the worst accident would end in nothing worse than a rough jostle for the girl. If the police pulled them over…well…they'd leave believing everything was just fine.

Matheson closed Integra's door and paused for a moment, staring at the vampire and little girl sitting in the passenger seat. He was tempted…_very_ tempted…to tell Integra to take his position and shove it, but he didn't. Hellsing paid well and he didn't want to start over new somewhere else at his age, vampire or no vampire."

Clamping down on his fear, he slid into the driver's seat, inserted the key and turned it. He could feel the vampire's red, malevolent glare on him as he put the car in gear and pulled away. He gripped the steering wheel, glad that his gloves hid the mottling of his knuckles from holding on so tight.

"Alucard." The warning in Integra's voice drew a dark chuckle from the vampire, but he obediently shifted that red gaze to the window. Jezebel sat forward, watching the Hellsing estate roll by, the vampire's hands clasped around her waist so the car wouldn't pitch her around as they turned onto the main road.

Waltham Abbey, the London suburb near the Hellsing estate, did their Christmas in style. Strands of glittering lights draped over the roadways, stars and snowflakes picked out in shining stipple on every light post. Holly and evergreen decked store fronts, lit by glowing bulbs of red, green, gold and blue, reflecting off ornaments nested in the greenery. Christmas trees adorned every street corner and Jezebel excitedly pointed out the hot cocoa vendor Integra had taken her to on their outing as Trans-Siberian Orchestra's 'Christmas Canon' played over the car's speakers.

They left the downtown area to comb through the residential neighborhoods. Jezebel oohed and ahhed at the luminaries and lighted reindeer, glowing icicles dripping from rooftop eaves and entire trees wrapped in colored lights. She pointed out stars hanging in windows with candles on the sills below. Mannheim Steamroller's 'Stille Nacht' began to play as a light dusting of snow began to fall.

"Snow!" Jezebel whispered the word in breathless wonder. It wouldn't stick. Not this early in the season and not so close to London, but it helped to paint the quaint suburb in a hazy veil of Winter Wonderland.

They finished up the route at a small coffee shop where Matheson got coffee and Integra and Jezebel got hot cocoa. Alucard sat beside Jezebel and for once, didn't eye the humans in the shop with his standard predatory gleam.

Matheson paused with his coffee halfway to his lips as he realized with some shock that aside from the beginning of the drive, Alucard hadn't done a thing to startle him or make him uncomfortable. His eyes cut to the vampire who hadn't bothered to leave his coat and hat behind for this outing. Those stark white fangs leered at him as though Alucard had come to the same conclusion at the same time and intended to make up for lost time.

Before the vampire could do anything remotely unsettling, the girl in the seat next to him began to list, her mouth opening wide in a yawn. Alucard caught her cup of hot cocoa before it could topple from her sleepy fingers. She jerked and blinked groggily at the monster. Smiling she snuggled into his side and yawned again. A tender smile, almost more unsettling than his leer, spread across the vampire's face. A moment later, the leer reappeared and Alucard reached up to pull the orange spectacles down his nose and gave Matheson a _look_. He would make up for the lost opportunity. Later.

**End Note:**

**Definitely going to have to make Christmas cookies this year. Yum, yum.**


	6. First Christmas 5: Christmas Day

**And here is the monster chapter that just kept growing and growing and…I feel like a character in Little Shop of Horrors. I had so much fun writing this chapter, it must be illegal in the contiguous 48 states…and certain regions of Alaska. O.o (Don't mind me. I've been sick lately and feeling a little loopy from pain killers.)**

**Jezebel's First Christmas Ch. 5: Christmas Day**

Christmas morning dawned, cloudy and threatening snow over a sleeping Hellsing household. Matheson rose with the sun, accustomed to keeping normal, _human_ hours. He expected to find Jezebel up and slavering over her gifts, like every other child on Christmas morning, but she was nowhere to be found. He checked her room, finding it empty, the blankets and comforter shoved back.

He didn't think she was missing. Not truly. He often found her bed empty. It meant she'd gone to the basement to sleep near the…vampire. Shivering, the butler lifted a lip in a silent sneer. He didn't understand the girl's obsession with that…monster, and he certainly wasn't going down there to check on it. If the child was missing, she would remain missing until Alucard reported her absent from the basement.

The nice thing about sleeping in a windowless basement was that the sun couldn't seep in and disturb your rest. The not so nice thing about sleeping in a windowless basement was the _cold_. Thank goodness for warm, fluffy beds.

Jezebel opened her eyes to total darkness. She blinked, unconcerned by her inability to see anything. She felt the blankets, warmed by her body heat, and the cold kiss of the basement air on her face. Yawning, she sat up and listened. Utter silence. It might be too early for Alucard to be awake. She thought about going back to sleep, but nervous energy wouldn't let her. She had come down to sleep in the basement because part of her still believed she would be locked in her room for the day, and if she had to be locked anywhere, she wanted it to be with Alucard.

Reaching out, she found the extra blanket at the foot of the bed. Gathering it up, she slid out of bed, bare feet flinching back from the chill stones of the basement floor. Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, she padded across the floor, finding the coffin by memory. Her foot encountered the heavy wooden box and she reached out to touch the polished surface of the lid. Smiling, she climbed on top, tucking her chilled feet under the edge of the blanket. Stretching out, she tapped on the coffin lid. For a moment, there was no response, but then a faint thump came from inside. She smoothed a hand over the satiny surface as the lid shifted under her. It lifted and moved to the side. She giggled as she tumbled off and rolled to her side on the stone floor.

"The sun has not set." Deep red eyes glowed softly in the stygian darkness. Jezebel sat up.

"I couldn't sleep, Alu. Would you light a candle so I can read while you sleep?"

The red eyes watched her for a moment and then a low chuckle rumbled out of the darkness. She heard shifting sounds as the vampire left his coffin and a light flared on the tip of a match, brilliant in the darkness. Jezebel hissed and shielded her dilated eyes from the light. The vampire reached out to set the flame to a candle wick. A soft glow lit the underground chamber, leaving the corners in deepest shadow.

"I suppose it's not that early, little master. Do you want to go upstairs and open a gift?"

Jezebel gave him a doubtful look. She'd almost forgotten about the gifts. They didn't matter to her as much as having company on the holiday.

"You'll go with me?"

"I said I would."

Jezebel nodded and stood up, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. Smiling so his fangs showed, the vampire strode across the room and opened the door. The lights on the Christmas tree outside his door glowed. The girl smiled at the sight and trailed after him.

"I like your tree, Alu."

"You should thank Seras for that. _I_ did not put it there."

Jezebel giggled, reaching out to touch one of the bloody ornaments. The limbs of the tree rustled as her touch jostled it.

"Can I have one, Alu?"

The vampire nodded and Jezebel carefully looked the tree over, picking out an ornament with a particularly interesting pattern in the blood splatter.

"Is it real blood, Alu?"

"No. It would be cracked and flaking by now."

"Oh." Jezebel held the ornament up to examine it in the dim light of the subterranean hallways. The girl and the vampire strolled toward the stairs, side by side. As they passed through Seras's area, Alucard reached out to snag a candy cane and handed it down to the little girl. Jezebel smiled up at him as she took it and tried to hook it around the top of her ornament.

Upstairs, weak evening light filtered through the house, the clouds blanketing the sky and giving it the soft, gentle blue glow of a dawn in reverse. Starting to feel more comfortable with Alucard's reassurance that she wouldn't be alone on Christmas, Jezebel hurried to the front parlor, eyes lit up with excitement. Suddenly, the idea of gifts seemed far more appealing.

They found Integra already there, sitting in a wing back chair, a small laptop perched on her knee as she perused the London news. She looked up as the heavy tread of Alucard's booted feet alerted her to their presence.

"There you are. I thought you might be with Alucard, Jezebel."

"Alu said I could open a gift." The little girl stared at the swath of gifts under the tree, eyes wide. Had the pile _grown_?

"I think it'd be better to have you open the stocking first and then some breakfast. Most of those gifts are from Seras and she'd hate to miss you opening any of them."

"Stocking?"

Integra nodded to the felt sock hanging from the fireplace mantle across the room. It had been a last minute addition after the girl had gone to bed. They almost hadn't put it out due to the ties stockings had to Santa, but they didn't have to _tell_ her that.

"It's a tradition. Children used to leave empty socks hung from the footboard of their beds in hopes of additional gifts showing up."

"Why's it on the mantle, then?"

"Sometimes the gifts showed up in the socks hung by the fire to dry."

"Why would anyone leave socks by a fire? They'd burn up."

Integra chuckled at the girl's questions. She hadn't seen Jezebel so animated since…well…ever. The child had only been with them a couple of months, but it was becoming harder and harder to imagine the Hellsing home without her. Alucard laughed and crossed the room to fetch the stocking for Jezebel. Integra gave him a surprised look. Had she _ever_ heard Alucard laugh without a sinister or insane lilt to his voice? She cast a speculative look at the girl. She had never had that effect on the vampire…but then, there was always a part of her that remembered her father's stories of the inherent evil in vampires and had feared him. She would _never_ have sought him out for comfort after a nightmare. He starred in too many of hers.

Alucard settled on the settee near the tree and Jezebel settled down on the floor at his feet with her prize.

Stuffed into the top of the stocking was a black plush wolf with red eyes. Integra smiled to herself as the girl looked from the toy to Alucard and back before crushing the stuffed animal to her chest. Supreme satisfaction settled in her chest. The custom toy hadn't been cheap, but the look on Jezebel's face made every penny worth it.

As the girl dived into the wealth of candy, fruit and small trinkets, Matheson appeared with two steaming cups of hot cocoa on a silver tray. A warmed blood packet lay next to them. Alucard lifted an eyebrow when he spotted it.

"Some…refreshment before breakfast?"

"That sounds wonderful, Matheson," Integra said, reaching for one of the cups. The butler lowered the tray for her, then turned to the girl and vampire. Visibly steeling himself, he crossed to the settee and offered the tray. Slowly, Alucard reached for the blood packet, watching the man closely. Matheson's heart raced as that white-gloved hand closed on the warm plastic, but he held his hands steady.

Taking the packet and raising it to his mouth, the vampire nodded at the butler, a tacit acknowledgment of the human's ability to overcome his fear. Jezebel hadn't done more than glance up at the two, utterly absorbed in her small treasure trove. Returning Alucard's nod, Matheson placed Jezebel's cocoa on a side table.

"Breakfast will be ready within the half hour. Would you like to take your…repast with the humans, sir?"

Alucard's other eyebrow rose to join the first. He couldn't decide which he liked more, jumpy Matheson or brave Matheson.

"I'll eat with the humans."

"Very good, sir. Ladies."

The butler gave a small bow to the room at large and turned to go. If his steps were a little more hurried than normal, well, he _did_ need to see to the breakfast preparations. The vampire watched him go, sipping from the blood packet.

V^^^V

Jezebel had found an intriguing item in her stocking: a slinky. She watched it fall from one hand to the next, fascinated by the curl of flattened metal wire. When Matheson arrived to announce breakfast was ready, she insisted on bringing the slinky and the stuffed wolf to the table with her.

Alucard sipped blood from a wine glass while Jezebel and Integra dined on eggs, ham, porridge and toast. Jezebel had orange juice while Integra sipped from a cup of coffee.

Halfway through the meal, Seras joined them, yawning with a mouth full of fangs. She spotted the stuffed wolf and her face fell.

"Did I miss the stocking?"

"Unfortunately," Integra said, sipping at her coffee. "But, we saved the big gifts for you."

"Thanks!"

Matheson entered, a bottle of blood and a wine glass on his tray. He set these in front of the chair across from Alucard and held it for Seras while she sat. Beaming a smile at the man, she reached for the blood.

"Do I get to open my gifts, now?" Jezebel asked, her eyes bright with hopeful anticipation. Integra looked her over.

"After you bathe and change."

"Oh." The girl drooped, shoulders slumped. One would think she'd been told she had to wait another month for Christmas. Alucard set his wineglass down, the thick red liquid inside oozing down the sides of the glass.

"I will wait for you in your room while you bathe and change."

"Really?" She perked up immediately. Integra frowned, feeling as though she'd missed something. Alucard smiled at the girl.

"Christmas isn't over. You won't be alone."

Integra scowled. Had the girl thought they would use this opportunity to lock her up? Sighing, the woman finished the last of her coffee.

"I'll keep you company in the bathroom," she said, putting her cup down.

"Really?" The excitement and hope in Jezebel's voice made her wince, even as she smiled reassurance.

"Of course. Are you done?"

Nodding, the girl slid out of her seat. They had to convince her to leave the wolf and slinky on the bed in her room, with Alucard. Integra helped her run a bath and leaned against the bathroom wall as the girl hurried through her ablutions. She had to make her rinse her hair a second time and wash her face properly, but overall, the bath probably could have broken some land speed records.

Dressed in warm flannel pants and a turtle-neck shirt, Jezebel rushed out of the bathroom to collect the stuffed wolf which she had named Black from Alucard. Integra followed at a more sedate pace and smiled to see the excitement dancing in her heir's eyes.

As they returned downstairs, the slinky lay, forgotten, on the bedside table.

V^^^V

Seras sat on the floor next to the tree as they entered, a red Santa hat on her head. Luckily, they'd never gotten around to showing Jezebel _pictures_ of Santa, so she thought nothing of it.

"Ready for presents?"

"Yeah!"

Integra shook her head at the change in the girl. Apparently, Christmas really could bring out the child in _anyone_. Seras started sorting gifts as Integra sat in the wing back chair and Alucard resumed his position on the settee. Jezebel sat at his feet, her eyes growing wide as the pile of gifts for her grew and grew.

Alucard's brow lifted as Seras set a wrapped box next to him. She looked puzzled as well, but Integra watched them with a knowing smirk.

"Youngest first!" Seras announced, grinning at Jezebel. The girl looked around at Integra and Alucard for confirmation. At their nods, she dove into the pile.

Jeans, jumpers, shirts and skirts. Dresses and leggings. Jezebel stroked the soft fabrics and exclaimed over the colors and designs. She sighed, shoulders slumped, at a new pair of tennis shoes, but then she opened a box with a pair of boots. Grinning, she pulled them on her bare feet and admired them.

"You're supposed to wear socks with those," Seras said, grinning. Matheson came in with a large trash bag for the wrapping paper as Jezebel obediently took the boots off.

"Open this one, next." Seras handed her a wrapped box. Tearing into it, the girl came up with a…baby doll. Frowning, she tilted her head to the side, as though looking at it from a different angle would make it explain itself.

"It's a baby doll," Seras said, sounding disappointed.

"What do I _do_ with it?"

Alucard snorted with laughter behind the girl. Seras shot him a dirty look.

"You play with it. You know…pretend you're a mommie and take care of it."

Jezebel gave her a puzzled look. Integra cleared her throat as she realized Jezebel might not understand what the role of a mother _or_ father was on anything more than an instinctive level.

Alucard broke the melancholy moment by leaning down to pick up one of Jezebel's gifts and hand it to her. She glanced at the name on the tag and looked up at the vampire.

"This one's from you." Everything else so far had been from Seras. He nodded and she ripped into the wrapping with gusto.

"Oh, pretty!" She smoothed a hand over the unicorn picture on the box.

"It's a puzzle. When you put it together, it will form that picture."

"Will you help me?" Jezebel looked up with hopeful eyes.

"I will, little master."

"Today?"

Everyone chuckled at the wistful tone in her voice.

"If you wish it. Later."

More gifts from Seras. Clothing for the baby doll and a miniature stroller that would likely collect dust in the girl's room. A miniature tea cup set. Alucard put his head in his hand, having forgotten about that. She showed some interest in a paint by numbers of a horse and a cardboard picture of cats picked out in black velvet with markers to color in the white cardboard.

As she worked her way through the hoard, Alucard kept two packages back. She opened the last thing from Seras: a snow globe with a flop-eared dog inside, tongue lolling out and sporting a red Christmas scarf. She swirled the water around, fascinated by the flurry of fake snowflakes. Looking up, she grinned.

"Thank-you, Miss Seras!"

Seras grinned, glad her last gift, at least, had gone over well.

Alucard handed Jezebel the larger of the two packages he had held back. She stood up and climbed up on the settee next to him to open it. The wrapping revealed seven books held together by a red ribbon. She looked at the top one.

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." She examined the roaring lion on the cover and smiled. "Thanks, Alu."

He chuckled and handed her the last box. This was the smallest of all her gifts. She tore it open to find a small white box. Lifting the lid, she blinked at the contents.

Alucard reached over her to lift the child-sized bracelet form the cotton pad in the box. He fastened it about her wrist with the metal plate in the middle facing up, the word "Hellsing" engraved in large letters across it and just above that, in smaller font, her own name.

"Now, no one, especially _you_, will forget that you are a _Hellsing_."

Integra blinked, surprised at the genius of the gift. Why hadn't she thought of it? Jezebel stared at the small bracelet and the beginnings of tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. She smoothed a finger over the engraving and then turned, wrapped her arms around the vampire next to her and _squeezed_. Her heart-felt "Thank-you!" got lost in the lapel of his duster. He curled an arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her hair, inhaling her scent with closed eyes.

Three sets of eyes looked on in shocked wonder. _None_ of them had ever seen Alucard hug anyone that he wasn't about to rip apart. Even Integra couldn't remember ever receiving an embrace from the monster. Matheson's mouth hung open in complete and utter shock. The devil must be buying stock in ice skates right about now.

Jezebel rubbed her eyes dry on the red coat lapel and sat back, beaming up at Alucard. Oblivious to the shocked silence, she grabbed for the box Seras had set next to him.

"Your turn, Alu!"

He took the package and the shocked tension all around them broke. Matheson moved to collect the last of the discarded wrapping paper from Jezebel's gifts, his lips pressed together but his brown eyes thoughtful. Integra fingered the bow of her own gift as she smiled in anticipation.

"Who's it from?" Seras asked. She hadn't gotten him anything, clueless as to what he might want besides blood, and she suspected he hadn't gotten anything for her either. They didn't standardly exchange gifts for any reason, not because they didn't care, but because it just wasn't something either of them thought about.

"It's from Jezebel," he said, using a gloved finger to rip through the paper and reveal a white box similar to the one he had given the girl. He pulled the lid off and stared at the copper medallion inside.

"Where did you get this?"

Integra frowned at the flat tone of his voice, wondering if they had made a mistake, getting the bauble for him.

"Jezebel found it in an antique store in Waltham Abbey, on the square. The certificate lists it as Romanian," she said and then wondered if she shouldn't have pointed out that _Jezebel_ had found it.

Alucard reached into the box and picked up the copper disk.

"The country wasn't Romania, then. This is Wallachian. My father minted them during his first reign and gave them to the Romani that brought him information about the Turks. It marked them as free to come and go over the borders." Integra's eyes grew wide. She thought the item might remind Alucard of his old home, but she hadn't expected…_that_.

"Father?" Seras frowned. "Wait…your _human_ father?!"

Alucard's red, scowling eyes cut over to her and he seemed to realize he had just shared a very personal piece of information about his human life. His gloved hand closed over the medallion, as though hiding it from view would erase his words. Seras bit back the avalanche of questions she wanted to ask.

Jezebel frowned, curling her fist in the vampire's coat.

"I'm sorry, Alu. It made me think of you. I didn't want to make you sad." Those red eyes shifted to gaze down on the little girl, his scowl softening.

"You need not apologize. It brings back more…pleasant memories. I had not thought to see one again. Thank-you, little master. Master." He nodded his thanks to Integra and her shoulders relaxed, a smile spreading across her face. Success, after all.

Integra went next, smiling at the bracelet made up of small silver crosses and matching earrings. She chuckled at the earrings as she lifted the bracelet.

"You know, Seras, I never had my ears pierced. Too easy for a monster to rip pierced jewelry out."

"Oh, I know." Seras grinned, proud of herself. "They're a new development in magnetics. Stronger than the old magnetic earrings from the nineties, but with an extra…field, I think they said, that keeps them from pinching so bad. They'll stick to your earlobes unless something strong hits them and then, they'd just be knocked off…no blood."

Integra lifted an eyebrow and examined the earrings. They had a strong magnetic pull on the metal plates that went on the back of the ear, but the plates wouldn't get any closer to the actual earring than two or three millimeters. It seemed like a combination of the opposite poles of a magnet that caused attraction and the same poles that caused repellence, all in one package and set up so the backing plates didn't want to slide around due to the repellant nature of the same poles. Curious.

"Silver?"

"The cross itself, of course."

The woman smiled. With a blessing added to make them truly holy items, they would make a good addition to her defensive arsenal. Putting them back in the box, she smiled at the vampire.

"Thank-you."

Grinning, Seras reached for her box. She exclaimed over the hat, gloves and scarf. Although she wore the Hellsing uniform almost exclusively, there were times she needed to blend in and enjoyed playing 'dress up' with her small collection of normal clothes.

Deciding she would give Matheson his gift later, Integra looked at Jezebel.

"There's one more thing for Jezebel," she said and the girl perked up from where she was tucked into Alucard's side, admiring her new bracelet. She leaned forward to examine the tree, but the skirt under the branches was empty.

"There is?"

"It was a little…difficult to wrap. Matheson, would you fetch it, please?"

The butler smiled and bowed his way out. Jezebel's eyes gleamed with curiosity and anticipation. Seras grinned, in on the secret.

When Matheson returned, Jezebel gasped and her eyes flew wide. Tucked under the butler's arm was a pitch black German Shepherd pup with sleepy brown eyes. It yawned, revealing a row of sharp puppy teeth and a long, pink tongue. A red ribbon wrapped around its neck like a collar with a big bow on top.

Jezebel scrambled off the settee, rushing across the room to stop short before crashing into Matheson. She stared up at the butler and the animal in his arms, her eyes wide and glistening.

"We have built a kennel for him. He will be allowed outside and in the basement with rare exceptions for the rest of the house," Integra said. "_You_ will feed, water and bathe him. I also expect you to train him, but we'll find someone to show you how."

Jezebel turned to the woman, about to explode with excitement.

"Is he really, really, mine?"

"Yes, Jezebel, he's yours."

The little girl rushed across the room and threw herself into Integra's lap, squeezing her about the middle. The woman jerked, taken by surprise. It was the first time she'd gotten any real display of affection from the child. Feeling a little of that iron heart she was known for start to flake, Integra set a hand on the girl's head and smiled.

It didn't last long. Moments later, Jezebel darted back across the room to look expectantly up at Matheson. Smiling, the butler set the pup on the ground and the girl descended on the animal who received her with enthusiastic licks and a wagging tail.

"What're you going to name him, Jezzie?" Seras asked.

Jezebel giggled and flopped over on her side as the puppy's licks became a little too enthusiastic.

"Dark," she said, hugging the pup around the neck. "His name is Dark."

**End note:**

**I used to own three German Shepherds, none of them black, but I absolutely loved those dogs. And yes, this whole series of Christmas stories was really for Jezebel to get a puppy. I told you guys it grew, and grew and…back in Little Shop of Horrors again.**

**And I just wanted to say something about Alucard's gift…I'm not sure I have ever put that much research into a single paragraph of dialogue before. So many questions to double check…What status were the Romani in Wallachia during Vlad Dracula's time? (answer: slaves) Would the talisman have brought back good or bad memories for Alucard? (answer: good, because during the time I had his father mint them, he hadn't yet been sent to the Turks as a political hostage and hadn't yet been betrayed by his father or brother) Did his father even fight against the Turks? (answer: yes, until he was exiled and then cut a deal with the Turks to get his throne back, which is why Alucard, then Vlad, ended up becoming a political prisoner) I did learn one interesting fact…it is generally accepted, now, that Vlad Dracula (Alucard) is a direct ancestor of Queen Elizabeth. This is not in the fiction world, but has been acknowledged by Prince Charles. It puts a whole new light on the scenes where Alucard sees the queen in the manga. What if he *knew* she was his descendent? That would explain so much….**

**Sorry. Plot bunnies are nibbling again.**


	7. First Christmas 6: Epilogue

**Jezebel's First Christmas Ch. 6: Epilogue**

Integra sat on a wooden bench in the back garden, smoking a cigar with a space heater at her feet. Alucard stood behind her, watching Jezebel romp with Dark around the trees and bushes lit with discreet spotlights.

"It's hard to believe, after years, decades thinking the Hellsing line ended with me…I have an heir." Integra inhaled the fragrant smoke from her cigar, thinking over the success of the day. "She finally gave up her suspicion that we would lock her in her room."

"She did," Alucard said. "She is capable of trust…and deep affection. This is the first time she's had anyone to give them to."

"I forget that sometimes. When she's distracted or excited, like today, I forget that she's been abused and neglected for almost her entire life."

"She doesn't forget, and never will," he said, eyes glowing into the night. "She will never trust _easily_, I think, but once earned, her loyalty is fierce. I hesitate to think what might happen if she is ever betrayed."

Integra scowled, her mind turning to Walter and his betrayal. It still stung and if the man had lived, she would happily have gutted him, slowly and methodically.

"Let's not talk about betrayal."

"Very well, my master."

Integra looked up at her vampire. He gazed out into the garden, red eyes tracking the movements of the girl and the puppy. She smiled and reached into her pocket to pull out a black leather case. Flipping it open, she removed a gleaming silver scalpel.

"I haven't given you my Christmas gift yet, my servant."

Alucard looked down and his eyes latched onto the blade in her hand. He watched it like a cobra watches the flute of a snake charmer, fascinated and oh, so deadly.

Holding her arm out, Integra sliced a shallow curve in the side of her wrist, a place marked by the scars of all the other times she'd opened a vein for him.

Circling around the bench, Alucard knelt before her, head tilted back in blissful expectation, eyes glowing a strong, rich red. Reaching out, Integra let the blood drip in a steady line into his mouth. The vampire made a faint sound of pleasure deep in his chest as he extended his long tongue to catch each drop. His master lowered her arm until that tongue could swipe over the leaking cut, his saliva speeding the healing process. He lapped the red rivulets from her skin and drew gently on the slice, eyes closed in utter bliss. She let him mouth the cut until the blood stopped flowing.

Alucard stayed like that, eyes closed as his tongue ran over his lips, collecting every last drop and smear. His arms hung limp at his sides, hair flowing in a black wash down his back.

"Merry Christmas, Alucard."

"Happy Holidays, master," he replied as a devilish grin spread across his face.

**End Note:**

**I know it's short, but Integra had to give Alucard his pint of blood, right? *grin***

**And that is it for the Christmas stuff. I think it's enough! Whew. Fear not, though. There are several more chapters coming…LOTS more chapters. Oh, my, the ideas that have been racing through my head. Lol.**


	8. Trouble

**So, Christmas stuff is over, but as promised, there is more Jezebel. Just be aware, not everything in The Formative Years will be fluffy and cutesy. :)**

**Trouble**

Jezebel peeked around the corner and shivered from the chill wind she'd just come in from. Her hand clenched on the brown leather collar around Dark's furry throat. The pup whined and wiggled, his black fur chilled and spotted with snow.

Technically, she wasn't doing anything wrong yet…_if_ she was headed for the basement, but in the third week of January, the winter chill had well and truly set in. Even she only slept in Alucard's room when the nightmares drove her from her own bed. She didn't want to leave the pup out in the snow, but she didn't want him to be cold in the basement either.

Seeing that the coast was clear, she sprinted for the stairs, hunched over to keep a grip on the leather collar. Dark loped along beside her, jerking her arm when their paces didn't quite match. She pushed him toward the back stairway and they lumbered up to the second floor.

At the top of the stairs, she pulled him up short and peered down the hallway. Empty. Dragging the pup after her, she hurried to her room and made it through the door with no adults alerted to her scheme.

Releasing Dark's collar, she let the pup explore the room while she went to the bathroom to put water in the miniature teapot she had gotten at Christmas. Setting it down, she showed the pup how to find it. He took a couple of laps and quickly lost interest.

Grinning, the girl sat down to invite Dark into her lap. She petted and scratched him while he planted damp paws on her shoulders and lapped at her chin. Jezebel giggled and wrinkled her nose at his pungent puppy breath. She pushed him gently away and he leaped back at her, panting and yipping. Before long, the two of them were rolling around, wrestling across the Persian rug.

V^^^V

Integra sat up in bed as a horrendous _crash_ echoed through the second floor of the Hellsing mansion. Throwing the blankets back, she grabbed the pistol from under her pillow. Flicking the safety off in an action so familiar it was almost instinct, she raced for the door.

Her first thought being Jezebel's safety, she sprinted down the hall to the girl's door and slammed it open. A tangled mess of girl, pup, toppled bookcase and books scattered about the floor met her eyes. Scowling as her mind caught up with what must have happened, she stepped inside and cursed as pain shot up her leg from the bottom of her foot.

Leaning against the doorframe to inspect the sole of her foot, she came up with a sliver of glass covered in blood. Eyeing the mess again, she spotted the shattered remnants of the snow globe Seras had gotten the girl for Christmas. Water soaked into the rug and a few of the books. Jezebel blinked at the disaster all around her and then turned fearful eyes on the woman in the doorway.

"Why is Dark in your room?" Integra ignored the blood dripping from her foot and glared at her heir. Jezebel glanced around and realized she didn't really have an answer. Sure, she knew what she was thinking at the _time_, but revisiting her logic, now, it didn't make as much sense anymore. After all, Dark had a warm doghouse outside and his own corner in the basement with a warm pad to sleep on. She looked up at Integra.

"I don't know."

Integra scowled at the girl, miffed by the unacceptable answer.

"Did _you_ bring him up here?"

"Yes."

"Then you must know what you were thinking when you did. Where is he allowed to go?"

"Outside and the basement." Jezebel stared at the hands in her lap, her gut twisting with the guilty knowledge that she had done wrong. She fully expected to receive a beating for this, but that didn't bother her nearly as much as the disappointed look on Integra's face.

"Then _why_ is he here?"

At that point, Alucard phased through the wall and glanced around at the mess. He spotted the pup, looking as cowed as the girl. Sniffing the air, his head swung around to give Integra a penetrating look.

"I thought I smelled your blood." He crossed the room, his red duster billowing out behind him with the speed of his passage.

"It's just a scratch. The snow globe broke."

Jezebel looked around at the mess, only then realizing that water soaked the carpet and the edge of her pajama pants. She scrambled to grab for the books sitting in the water.

"_Don't move_!"

She froze at Integra's command, looking back to see Alucard kneeling before his master and holding her injured foot at the ankle. He ran a finger over the bloody cut and brought it to his mouth.

"I don't want you hurting yourself on the glass," said Integra and she glanced down at the vampire. "Oh, hurry up and seal the wound, Alucard."

Chuckling, the vampire did as he was bid, soaking his finger in vampiric saliva and running it along the rip in her flesh. She sighed a breath of relief as the worst of the pain ebbed and Alucard bent to lick the drops of blood from the wooden floor. Integra set her foot down and eased her weight onto it.

"Bring the girl and the pup to my office, Alucard."

He sat up and looked over at the wide-eyed girl as Integra turned, activating the safety on her pistol and tucking it into the back of her pajama pants. She left the room, favoring the foot that had been injured. After all, vampire saliva only sealed a wound. It didn't heal completely.

Alucard rose and crossed the room, his boots crunching in the shattered glass from the snow globe. He stooped to pick up Jezebel's copy of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". Water dripped from the back cover. Setting it on the bed where the water could soak into the bedspread and allow the book to begin to dry, he quickly gathered the rest of the books and did the same with them.

Scooping up the puppy and tucking it under his arm, he turned to Jezebel. A single tear slipped down her cheek even as she visibly fought to hold it back. The vampire didn't say a thing as he knelt to pick her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Alu. I didn't mean to break it, or hurt the books, or hurt Sir Integra."

"No one believes that you intended harm," he said as he carried her from the room, "but things like that are what happen when you don't _think_ about your actions, and nothing you do now can undo what has happened."

Jezebel nodded into his shoulder. His words weren't comforting, but they weren't meant to be. She thought about what had happened as he carried her to Integra's office. By the time they got there, she had an answer for the woman.

"I did bad, Sir Integra," she said after Alucard put her down. "I brought Dark to my room because it's cold, but really I did it because I wanted to play with him. I'm sorry."

"Thank-you for giving me an honest answer, Jezebel." Integra reached for her cigar case, caught herself and pulled her empty hand back. "You will have to sleep in your bed in the basement until the glass shards are cleaned up. Since you _have_ another bed, that will be tomorrow. Dark must go back to his kennel tonight. For the next week, you are grounded. You will walk Dark three times a day, feed and water him, but you will not be allowed to play with him otherwise. Your basement privileges are revoked barring a _true_ nightmare. I _expect_ you to be honest about this."

"Yes, ma'am." Jezebel gave Alucard a mournful look, knowing that losing her basement privileges meant she couldn't seek him out.

"Alucard may visit you. I suggest you work hard to show him that you have learned your lesson. You will also need to apologize to Seras for breaking her gift to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir Integra. Umm…err…can I ask a question?"

"What?"

"Umm…will…will I be getting my beating now or after I'm not grounded anymore?"

Integra looked as though she had been poleaxed. She would have thought the girl was being flippant except for the earnest inquiry, mixed with resigned dread on her face. She sighed, grinding her teeth at this further evidence of the abuse the girl had suffered at the hands of the Vatican.

"You will not be beaten at _any_ time. Not for something like this. You have already shown that you recognize what you did wrong. The grounding is to help you _remember_ so you won't repeat it."

"Oh. Err…yes, ma'am. Thank-you, Sir Integra."

"Take her to bed, Alucard. Get an electric blanket for her while you do. We need to keep one down there anyway. I'll take Dark back outside."

"Yes, my master."

Jezebel turned to follow the vampire from the room, head hanging. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, not because of the grounding that was coming, but because she knew she had disappointed the two people she loved most in the world. Next time, she _would_ make better decisions. She swore it to herself.

**End note:**

**Jezebel is a kid. She's gonna do dumb kid stuff and end up punished for it. I distinctly remember feeling like this when I was a kid, less concerned about my punishment than I was about having disappointed my Mom. **_**That's**_** what happens when a kid truly respects their parental figure. I only hope I can command that kind of respect when I have my own kids. This story is for my Mom, an amazing woman who went back to college as a single mother and got her master's degree. I love you, Mom!**


	9. Blood

Blood

Jezebel woke up half an hour after noon with sunlight pouring in through her West facing window. Rolling over, she blinked at the clock on her bedside table. She'd prided herself in being able to tell the time since Mrs. Carringer taught her how to read a clock last week. She had half an hour before her lessons started.

It took another blink and a minute for her brain to wake up enough to realize she'd slept late and would miss breakfast. Groaning, she rolled over to stare out the window for a moment. She did _not_ want to get up. She'd stayed up past dawn reading with a flashlight under the covers. In her defense, it was for a lesson, but if she hadn't been playing with Dark when she _should_ be studying…but she hadn't gotten to play with him in a _week_! That was like…eternity.

Sighing, she threw the covers back. Tired or not, she had lessons and no valid excuse to miss them. Dragging herself out of bed, she padded across the chilly floor to collect her clothes before retiring to the bathroom to change.

Mrs. Carringer did everything in her power to make lessons interesting, but Jezebel yawned her way through them. At least she passed the quiz over what she'd read early that morning. By the time Matheson brought her lunch at four-thirty, her stomach was trying to gnaw a hole through her spine. She hadn't been so hungry since…her mind skittered away from thoughts of the abbey. Besides, it was her own fault she'd slept so late.

Wolfing the soup and sandwich down, she returned to her lessons, once again reminded of how grateful she was to be _here_ instead of _there_.

Lunch perked her up a bit, but by the time Mrs. Carringer released her to complete her homework and play at seven, the yawns had returned. Dropping her books off in her room, she decided to tackle the homework later. She had about three hours until dinner and she wanted to check out the back quarter with Dark.

Bundling up in a thick jacket, she grabbed a flashlight and Dark's leash as she headed outside. Collecting the pup, she jogged past the soldier barracks on her way to the back acreage of the Hellsing estate where trees and shrubs still ruled. She had started exploring out here just before her grounding but hadn't managed to get far. Finding the tree she had marked by chipping some of the bark off with a stick, she started out.

Before long, she and Dark were on a hunt for elusive evil priests with an imaginary Alucard running point in the trees ahead of them. Jezebel scrambled from tree trunk to tree trunk, peeking out into the darkness of the quiet forest. Deep in the play, she kept her flashlight dark so it wouldn't ruin what little night vision her limited human eyes could achieve. She pretended she was a vampire like Alucard and Seras, powerful and elusive. Baring blunt, human teeth, she leapt from behind a tree.

Dark yipped and bounced at her side, excited at the game. He dashed to the end of his leash, trying to race off into the darkness.

Caught in the act of turning to shush him so the pup wouldn't scare their 'prey' off, Jezebel lost her balance. The leash caught her behind the knees and she went down, reaching out to catch herself with her hands.

A sharp pain raced up her left arm as her hand hit the edge of a rock sticking up out of the ground. Hissing, she clutched her injured hand to her chest and felt wetness leaking out of the wound. The edge of her palm burned even as it started to go numb. The wetness flowed down her arm, dripping from the tip of her elbow.

Blinking back tears, she pushed herself to her feet. She needed to get back to the house…to Alucard. Applying pressure to the wound, she stumbled through the trees, tracing her steps by memory. Dark raced ahead of her and back again, his leash trailing in the dead leaves and detritus of the forest floor.

Once or twice, she wasn't sure what direction to go, so she followed Dark. She felt light and curiously distant as she walked. Her hand didn't hurt so much anymore so she let it drop to her side as they emerged from the tree line.

Dark raced back to her and whined, licking at the wetness dripping over her fingers.

"No! Stop that. That's for Alucard."

The pup whined again and raced off toward the house. He followed her in the side door, but that was okay because she was going to the basement anyway.

Her numb hand dripped a sluggish trail of red drops down the hall as she headed for the stairs. She didn't notice the blood marking the stone steps. She felt sleepy, tired, but was determined to get to Alucard.

Pushing the basement door open, she frowned as Dark raced past her into the vampire's room. He yipped and jumped at the creature, already rising to his feet at the scent of Hellsing blood.

"Jezebel?" The vampire crossed the room to kneel before her, his booted footsteps echoing against the stone walls. She held her hand out to him.

"For you, Alu."

He scowled at the nasty gash in the side of her palm, red eyes flashing at the scent. It oozed blood and more blood covered her hand, wrist and arm. It stained her shirt where she'd held the wound close to her chest. Gently, he took her arm in his gloved hands.

"Did you do this on purpose?"

She shook her head and swayed a little on her feet.

"Accident."

Rising, Alucard scooped her into his arms and set her on his hip. He held her in place as he lifted the injured hand to his mouth and swiped a tongue over it. Jezebel hissed but didn't complain as he carried her from the basement, licking at the wound, helping to make the blood clot and stop the bleeding. His saliva couldn't heal it completely, and wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding in a much larger wound. It was intended to seal a bite, so his prey could live to feed him another day, and little more.

Out of necessity, Dr. Pelham, the Hellsing physician, worked nights. They found him in his office in the barracks where Alucard set a sleepy and woozy Jezebel on his office chair.

"I believe she needs stitches," the vampire said, standing behind the girl and giving the physician a look that said he better get off his butt and _do_ something about this. Having a healthy sense of self preservation, the doctor rose and hurried around his desk. He checked her breathing, looked at the wound to see the bleeding mostly stopped and checked her pulse. Jezebel stared across the room, blinking sleepily as all of this went on around her.

"Bring her to the back room."

Dr. Pelham led the way as Alucard scooped the girl up.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked over his shoulder as he opened the door into a small room with a pair of medical cots against one wall, an examination table and a wall full of medical and first aid supplies.

"Only that it was an accident."

"Put her there."

Alucard set Jezebel on one of the cots as Dr Pelham collected supplies on a silver tray. He hurried over, snagging a rolling stool and table as he came. Waving the concerned vampire out of the way, he propped Jezebel's feet up and sat on the stool to examine the wound. Alucard hovered at the foot of the cot, but knew enough to stay out of the man's way.

"You licked this?"

"I did."

"Good." Dr. Pelham tossed an approving smile over his shoulder. "It looks like she probably fell and hit something sharp when she caught herself. You probably cleaned any grit out when you sealed it. I'll put a few stitches in to reduce the scarring and give her a tetanus shot. In fact, this might be a good time to give her all her shots. I've been meaning to suggest a check-up to Sir Hellsing."

The man kept up the reassuring, inane chatter as he injected a local anesthetic into the girl's palm and want to work with a curved needle and sutures. She barely noticed the shot and blinked sleepily at the ceiling.

"Why is she not responding?" Alucard asked, interrupting the good doctor. Dr. Pelham looked up from the last stitch.

"Well, she's a little shocky, but her pulse is strong. Jezebel. Look at me." The girl turned her head and her eyes focused on the doctor. "How do you feel, dear?"

"Sleepy." She yawned and closed her eyes.

"Definitely shocky."

Snipping the last stitch, Dr. Pelham pushed the tray away and went to examine the girl's head and then the rest of her.

"It doesn't look like she's taken a concussion or any other serious injury, just some bumps and scrapes. Just to be safe, wake her up once an hour for the next twelve hours and feed her as much juice and water as she'll take. I'll stay here until dawn in case I'm needed and I'll check on her tomorrow evening."

The doctor taped a bandage over the stitches as he talked and Jezebel seemed to revive a little.

"I have homework," she said, frowning.

"You need liquids and rest," said Dr. Pelham, scowling. "Homework can wait."

"But…"

"No," Alucard said, placing a hand on the girl's ankle. She frowned at him, a worried line forming between her eyes. "You will listen to the doctor. I will speak to Integra and your tutor."

"Am…am I in trouble?" She hadn't thought she would be at the time, but having to see a doctor…

"No. Accidents happen, but next time, come to Dr. Pelham first."

"Yes, Alu." She didn't argue further, but she also didn't look like she cared much for the order. It didn't matter, though, so long as she obeyed.

Dr. Pelham left the room to log the incident and Jezebel looked up at the vampire with mournful eyes.

"Alu? Do…don't you _like_ my blood?"

The vampire chuckled and smiled.

"Yes, little master. I do, but I like your _health_ more. Promise me you will come to Dr. Pelham first if you are injured again."

"Okay, Alu. I promise. But…if you're with me, can I give you some, then?"

"Most assuredly, little master. I would be honored."

Jezebel smiled and seemed to relax through the shoulders. Her eyes fluttered closed as exhaustion from her ordeal set in.

Such a strange child. And yet, the fact that she had wanted to offer him the blood from her wound…it touched him. He settled himself on the edge of the cot, reaching out to smooth the hair from her forehead. She scooted toward him in her half-asleep state and sighed with contentment.

A very strange child indeed, but very much _his_ and heaven help anyone or anything that actually tried to harm her.


	10. Stalk the Vampire

**I had to do this one. Anyone else might get eaten, but they'd scream when he caught them. Jezebel just giggles. *grin***

**Stalk the Vampire**

Jezebel sighed, staring out the window at the wet, icy night. With drizzles off and on all day, going out to explore some more didn't appeal. Not to mention, she might get in trouble since it seemed a little dumb to go tromping through dark woods in the cold and wet. And she didn't want to drag Dark out of his warm, cozy doghouse.

But…she was bored. It was a new concept for her. She hadn't exactly been busy at the abbey, but she had existed in a constant state of nervous tension that left her wishing for nothing more than a quiet, relaxed moment. Now, she had that in abundance and the shiny had worn off.

Looking around her room, she considered the slew of toys. She made a face at the baby doll and tea set. She had colored the cat poster already. There was the puzzle, but she wasn't really interested. She didn't want to _sit_.

Remembering her mock hunt with Dark and the imaginary Alucard the other day, she smiled. She wanted to do _that_ again. But that put her back at square one, stuck inside on a cold, dreary day. Maybe she could reverse her role.

With an impish grin, the girl slid off her windowsill and crept out the door.

The basement was easily as cold as the outdoors, but it wasn't wet. The little girl snuck down Seras's hallway and stopped outside Alucard's door. As usual, it was closed and she couldn't be sure he was even in there. If she was seeking him out, she would just go on in, but today, she was _hunting_ him. How to open the door without revealing herself?

Pondering the metal slab, she cocked her head to the side. She normally had trouble opening the heavy door anyway. How could she open it without him noticing?

No. Not possible. But maybe if he couldn't _see_ her…

Grinning, she jumped toward the door and turned the latch, hauling it toward her. Instead of stopping when it was wide enough to admit her as she usually did, she kept pulling, using the metal to shield her body from view. It took a bit of effort, but she managed to pull the door completely around until it was flush against the wall with just enough room for her small body. There, she waited, listening for any indication the vampire was there and had noticed the door.

She didn't have to wait long before the sound of heavy, booted footsteps echoed from the room. She stifled a giggle, not wanting to give herself away.

As those footsteps drew near, she realized she had made a critical mistake. She had nowhere to run and no way to even pretend to defeat a vampire, especially one like Alucard. She bit her lip as the echo dropped away, those footsteps reaching the doorway. Her mind raced over her options as the footsteps paused and then, much quieter, slipped over the stone floor into the hallway. She caught a glimpse of red duster and crouched down behind the door.

Alucard rounded the door, posed as thought looking down the hall, but then he glanced down and over his shoulder, looking _right_ at _her_! Her heart jumped with a spurt of adrenaline. Acting on instinct, she leaped from her hiding place with a loud 'RAWR!' and raced past the red duster, down the hallway.

Alucard watched her go, a grin spread across his face. He'd heard her heartbeat before she opened the door, caught the whiff of her scent as the door swung open. If he hadn't recognized the scent or sound, she could, possibly, be dead at that moment…or at least severely injured. He certainly wouldn't recommend any of the Hellsing soldiers trying that trick…but with Jezebel, that was just fine.

With fangs bared in a gleeful snarl, he took off down the hallway after her, running on swift, silent feet.

V^^^V

Matheson jumped as an unholy shriek split the air. The tea service on its silver tray that he'd been carrying to the kitchen clattered to the floor in the front hallway. A moment later, Jezebel raced by, followed by a red-clad vampire hot on her heels.

The butler frowned, trying to decide if he should be concerned, but he watched them round the corner, the vampire moving no faster than the ten year old child. He knew the creature could catch her in a heartbeat if he wanted to, so he was…letting her stay ahead of him? Was he _playing_ with her?!

Shaking his head in wonder and a touch of annoyance, Matheson stooped to collect the spilled tea service.

V^^^V

He cornered her at the end of a hallway in the west wing, swooping in to scoop her up. The vampire flipped her over and swiped a tongue over the back of her neck, letting his fangs graze her skin, just enough so she'd know he'd done it.

"Caught you!"

Jezebel giggled and squirmed to get down. Alucard set her on her feet, still grinning.

"I caught you first!"

The vampire lifted an eyebrow.

"Did you?"

"You came to my trap," she said in complete earnestness. Alucard's grin returned, full of pointy teeth and fangs.

"I suppose I had best flee. But be careful. A fleeing vampire often takes hostages."

His laugh echoed down the hallway as he dissolved into a hoard of flapping bats. Jezebel frowned, her mind working over the clue he'd given her. Who would Alucard hold hostage against her? Grinning with an idea, she raced down the hallway.

V^^^V

Integra looked up as her vampire servant phased up through the floor in her office. She hadn't summoned him. Was something wrong?

"What…"

"Shh." He put a finger to his lips, teeth showing in the grin behind that glove. "Jezebel is stalking me and _you_ are my hostage."

She scowled at him, about to tell him she didn't have time for games, but she caught herself. She could spare a little time and she was curious as to what was going on. Reaching for her cigar case, she pulled one out and sat back in her chair, crossing her legs as she snipped the end off and lit up.

Alucard chuckled and plopped down in a chair that he dragged over to place between Integra and the door.

They waited.

Halfway through the cigar, Integra spoke up.

"She's probably lost interest. Children don't have long attention spans."

"No. She still stalking. I can hear her."

Lifting an eyebrow, Integra shrugged and turned to the laptop on her desk. She'd had enough of a break, and if Alucard was just going to sit there, it wouldn't distract her from the report she was preparing for the round table.

Less than a minute later, the door to her office cracked open and a small tea cup came rolling across the floor. Integra looked up.

"_Boom_!" Jezebel shouted behind the door, her voice spiking with glee. "You stood on a bomb! You're dead!"

Alucard rose to his feet, cackling.

"You think a simple bomb can defeat _me_?! You've killed the hostage and have nothing to show for it!"

Jezebel yanked the door open with a grin.

"She should have ducked. It was only a little bomb." Sticking her tongue out, she took off down the hallway. Alucard raced after her, cackling threats as he went.

Integra blinked at her open office door, wondering if she'd just hallucinated the scene. Had she really just seen her _vampire_ playing chase with a ten year old girl? A joyful shriek echoed back from the end of the hallway, answering her question for her.

Shaking her head, she went back to her report. That was _not_ the vampire she knew. But she had to admit, she rather liked this new side of Alucard.


	11. Play Date

**Just real quick, I wanted to send out a heart-felt thank you to everyone that reviews this. Your reviews really make my day and keep me kicking out chapters. I am open to ideas or things you guys might like to see. I do like a challenge, although some stuff might not gel. Feel free to drop your ideas in reviews or via PM.**

**P.S. Girlycard is in this chapter and I had a HECK of a time deciding which pronoun to use in reference to him…err…her? It. Definitely it. *grin***

**Play Date**

"Jezebel needs friends."

Integra clasped her hands in front of her, frowning thoughtfully at Dr. Bernstein and Mrs. Carringer. Had she had friends as a child? It seemed like there might have been a couple. Children of the Hellsing soldiers, mostly. And then her father had died and suddenly she was in charge of Hellsing with a half-mad vampire to figure out and control. There wasn't much time for friends after that.

"Friends…you mean, aside from Alucard?"

"Most definitely aside from Alucard," Dr. Bernstein said, scowling. He'd made it clear that he thought the girl's attachment to the vampire was, at best, unhealthy, and, at worst, highly dangerous. Integra chuckled.

"So, where should we find her friends? My father hosted children's balls for the local gentry and the children of the Hellsing soldiers when I was a child."

"You could do that," said Dr. Bernstein. "Although, unless I'm mistaken…hasn't your complement of soldiers reduced considerably since you were a child?"

Integra thought back to the massacre perpetrated by the Valentine brothers over three decades ago. After that and the decimation of the Wild Geese, she certainly hadn't hired as many soldiers to replace them. Even with Alucard gone for so long, Seras and modern technology had allowed her to reduce her personnel. Now that they were back to two vampires, one of them insanely powerful, she hadn't had to hire any new soldiers to replace ones they lost to the field or retirement in almost a decade. Of course, there were other parts of the Hellsing staff, but Dr. Bernstein had a point. There might not be as many children available from that source as when she was young.

"Umm…if I may?" Integra looked up at Mrs. Ruby Carringer, the tutor taking care of Jezebel's academic education. "What about homeschooling groups? I may be a professional, but for all intents and purposes, Jezebel is being homeschooled. They could be an excellent source of exposure for the girl."

"What do these homeschool groups do?"

"Outings, field trips, play dates, extracurricular activities. Some of them even form sports teams, just like children in a standard school system would have access to."

Integra nodded, liking the idea. She never had any intention of sending Jezebel to public school, but she agreed that the social aspect of such schools was missing from her heir's life.

"I like that idea, Ruby. Research some local groups and get Jezebel signed up."

"Yes, madam."

V^^^V

"Alu, what's a play date?"

The vampire frowned down at the girl curled in his lap, watching avidly as he cleaned the Casull. The only explanation for 'play date' that he could think of shouldn't involve a ten year old girl.

"That depends. Where did you hear about this 'play date'?"

"Mrs. Carringer says I have to go to one tomorrow. Do I really have to, Alu?"

"If your tutor says you are to go, then you must."

"Will you go with me, Alu?"

The vampire considered the request and then grinned. Why not? He was curious about this 'play date' as well.

V^^^V

Ruby Carringer did not know the black-haired girl that joined Jezebel for her lessons the next day. She frowned at the two of them, not sure what to do.

"Who's your friend, Jezebel?" Maybe Integra had located one of the soldier's daughters to meet and befriend her heir.

"Alucard." The girl said it so nonchalantly as she worked on coloring in her art journal that at first, the name didn't register with the tutor. When the dark haired girl looked up with a toothy grin, it clicked.

"That's…he's…err, she's…err…_awake_?"

Out of necessity for the play date, Jezebel's lessons had started early, at ten instead of one. Mrs. Carringer had _never_ expected the vampire to be up and about at that time, much less joining Jezebel for her lessons and outing.

"He can't come today! Err…she…or…oh, whatever! I can't bring a vampire to a homeschool play date!"

"Then I won't go." Jezebel didn't even look up. Alucard just shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the paper in front of her. She'd started her own art project…a severed head sitting in a pool of stark red blood. She'd worn the red crayon down to a nub. Well, it did help to start with what you knew when it came to art.

Swallowing hard, Mrs. Carringer forced a smile onto her face.

"I'll be right back."

V^^^V

Integra did not appreciate being woken up at what was, for her, the crack of dawn.

"What's wrong, Ruby?" she asked, tying the belt of her robe as she entered the receiving room of her suite.

"I don't think it's appropriate to bring a vampire to a children's outing. I don't _care_ if Jezebel refuses to go without him…err…her…or…argh!"

"Her? What's going on, Ruby? Is _Seras_ wanting to go?" That didn't seem right. Seras had more sense than that…and Jezebel wasn't likely to care if the blond vampire accompanied them or not.

"No. Him! Her? _It_! I have a black-haired, female child _vampire_ drawing severed heads in Jezebel's school room and your heir insisting…_it_…go with us today!"

"Child? Vampire? …_Alucaaard_!" Integra shouted his name in the general direction of the ceiling, knowing her servant would hear her.

Several seconds later, a young girl's giggle echoed around the room and the dark-haired girl phased through the walls, tendrils of darkness dancing all around her. Mrs. Carringer bit her lip to keep from squeaking in fright. She'd been exposed to the vampire during her interview and hired specifically because she didn't dissolve into screaming fits when he manifested his powers for her, but some things could make even _her_ heart race. Apparently, a young, female version of said vampire was one of them.

"You called, master?" That voice sounded too sweet, too innocent for the creature that it belonged to. Mrs. Carringer resisted the urge to fan herself. She _refused_ to swoon in front of him…her…whatever. It. Definitely it.

"What are you up to, Alucard?"

"Going on a play date. Jezebel asked me to accompany her."

Integra frowned.

"What's this about her refusing to go without you?"

Alucard grinned, pointed fangs peeking out under her lower lip. The gleefully devilish look on her face made Mrs. Carringer shiver.

"This is a new experience for a child who has found security for the first time in her _life_. She is frightened and needs someone there that she knows she can trust."

"She'll have _me_ there," said Mrs. Carringer, affronted at the suggestion that Jezebel didn't trust her. The child vampire turned to her and she suddenly regretted speaking up.

"_You_ are not_ me_."

As though that explained everything, Alucard turned back to Integra with an expectant look. The woman sighed. Apparently, it _did_ explain everything.

"He's right, Ruby. Her psyche is delicate and I don't want to force her into a truly uncomfortable situation when she's done nothing to deserve it. _Alucard_ will behave himself during the outing." The look that Integra leveled at the vampire made it clear that she _better_ behave…or else.

"So long as no one from the Vatican shows up, I shall keep the bloodshed to a minimum."

She was joking. Mrs. Carringer _really_ hoped she was joking.

"I can't call you Alucard when you look like that."

The child smiled.

"You may call me Voica. I will know the name."

Mrs. Carringer sighed, knowing she couldn't argue against her employer. This promised to be entertaining…and probably more than a little terrifying.

V^^^V

Jezebel stared at the brightly lit playground covered in crawling, swinging, _screaming_ children. She looked doubtfully over her shoulder at Mrs. Carringer.

"Go on, now. Aluc…err…Voica will be with you."

The vampire girl stared at the playground as well, wincing as some of the childrens' shrieks reached particularly high levels. She wore a black coat and gloves with round, dark sunglasses perched on her nose to hide red eyes and protect from the sun. A black cap with a brim to shade her eyes completed the ensemble. Mrs. Carringer thought she looked like a hoodlum, but Jezebel obviously found nothing wrong with her appearance.

"It's too bright out there." Jezebel looked around and spotted a stand of trees off to the side with a pair of swings and a small jungle gym. She smiled at Alucard and pointed to it. "Let's go over there."

Seeing that the suggested location was free of screaming children, the vampire smiled and nodded. Mrs. Carringer sighed as the two of them raced off. The whole point of the play date was for Jezebel to play with _other_ children. Maybe after a couple of outings, the girl would feel comfortable enough to leave the vampire behind and branch out a little. Shaking her head, the tutor went to join the other parents and caretakers.

V^^^V

Jezebel had never ridden on a swing. She stalked around the device, examining it from all angles. She had already put together its purpose, having observed the other children playing on the larger, newer swing set near the center of the playground.

Gingerly, she eased onto the wooden seat and gripped the ropes attaching it to the iron frame. She leaned back a touch and jerked as the seat seemed to slip out from under her. She sat up again, gripping the ropes.

Alucard leaned against the swing frame, the only thing about her that appeared childlike being her diminutive size. She watched Jezebel as she leaned forward a touch and the seat of the swing slipped out from under her. She caught herself and stood, shooting a glance at the vampire, but she didn't ask for help and Alucard didn't offer it.

Turning, Jezebel pondered the wooden seat again.

"Haven't you ever used a swing before?" Jezebel turned, scowling. A boy stood several feet away, maybe a year or two older than her with a thatch of brown hair and a smattering of freckles across his nose. He wore a blue jumper with khaki pants and brown shoes. She frowned at him.

"No."

"Do you want some help?"

Jezebel's eyes narrowed.

"No."

She turned her back on him, examining the swing again. A small smile quirked across Alucard's face and the boy gave her a nervous look. Something about the black-haired girl made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He thought about leaving the pair since he didn't seem welcome, but something about them peaked his curiosity even as it set warning bells off in the back of his head.

"My name is Ethan." Neither of the girls answered, so he ventured a question. "What's yours?"

Jezebel shot him an irritated look, wishing he would go away while she puzzled out this infernal device.

"Jezebel," she said, hoping the information would satisfy him. Ethan smiled, feeling like he had won a victory. He turned an expectant look on the other girl. She smirked at him. After a minute of silence, the boy frowned.

"Don't you have a name too?"

"You can call me Voica."

Ethan frowned. That was such a strange way to say it.

"Isn't that what everyone calls you?"

The vampire glanced at Jezebel, the movement of her eyes barely visible behind the dark glasses.

"Today it is."

Ethan looked from one girl to the other, a smile spreading across his face. A mystery! And a challenge. As he watched, Jezebel seemed to decide she had a new way to approach the swing. She moved forward to put one knee on the seat and pushed herself forward with the other foot. It wasn't exactly the proper way to do it, but it certainly got the job done.

Ethan watched her for a moment and then moved to the other swing on the frame, the one closer to Alucard. The vampire widened her eyes in surprise that the boy would approach her. Most humans wouldn't when she didn't bother to tamp down the intimidating aura she normally exuded. He didn't notice the look with those red eyes hidden behind the dark glasses. Instead, he watched Jezebel and when she glanced at him, he sat in the swing, gripping the ropes and tucking his feet under himself to stay steady. She looked away, but she didn't push herself off again and he thought she might be watching out of the corner of her eye.

With obvious, over-exaggerated movements, he leaned back, kicking his legs out to get the swing going. He pressed his rear into the seat as he kicked his legs back at the apex of his momentum and leaned forward. By this time, Jezebel had dragged herself to a stop and was openly watching him. He pretended not to notice.

As Ethan completed his third arc, Jezebel turned around and sat in the seat, a look of deep concentration on her face. She gripped the ropes and carefully leaned back. It took her longer to work up any decent momentum, but before long, she had the hang of it. The vampire girl leaning on the iron frame smiled her approval.

Across the playground, Mrs. Carringer looked up from her conversation with a nanny to check on her charge. To her surprise, she found _three_ children, not two, on the swing set by the trees. A boy and a girl swooshed back and forth while the black-haired girl child alternated between pushing first one and then the other on the swings.

The tutor blinked, wondering if she should be concerned for the boy that obviously didn't share Hellsing blood, but she shrugged to herself. Integra had said the vampire would behave. She had to trust in that.


	12. Field Trip

**Field Trip**

"When is the next play date, Mrs. Carringer?"

The tutor sighed. While she was overjoyed that Jezebel had found a friend at the park, the idea of another outing was driving the girl to distraction.

"They haven't scheduled one yet, Jezebel. I'll let you know the moment I hear anything." Or at least by the next day. She had asked Integra about hosting a play date at Hellsing but the woman had shied away from the idea, citing the presence of the staff and soldiers as an unknown variable with the children, not to mention the presence of vampires and the secrecy of what Hellsing actually did. Mrs. Carringer had to admit that Integra had a point, and they really didn't have good facilities for entertaining a troupe of children.

"Will Ethan be there?"

"I don't know."

"I don't want to go if Ethan isn't there."

Of course not. Mrs. Carringer wondered if the girl's reticence with new situations would persist into her teens and adulthood. Considering the nature of Integra's work, that could pose a problem later on. All she could do to resolve that was to expose the girl to as many new experiences as she could manage. That did give her an idea, though.

Getting the girl set up with her math assignment, Mrs. Carringer went to see Integra.

"I'd like to do a field trip with Jezebel, perhaps invite the boy she managed to befriend the other day."

Integra nodded, liking the idea.

"Where would you want to do it? She's likely to want Alucard to go again."

"Do you think? I had hoped…well, no. I suppose you're right. It would only be her second school outing. Perhaps…the aquarium? London has an excellent one in Southwark."

"Yes. That sounds good…and Alucard can hardly cause a stampede at an aquarium."

Mrs. Carringer's eyes went wide, a vision of the vampire at the zoo causing a panic flashing through her mind.

"Has he…"

"Not that I _know_ of, but do you want to be the one to test it?"

"Err…no." Mrs. Carringer shuddered. "Definitely not."

V^^^V

After a couple of calls, Mrs. Carringer happily announced to her pupil that they would be going to the aquarium next week, and yes, Ethan would be going as well. The excited look on the girl's face warmed the tutor's heart.

They left Hellsing on Tuesday afternoon with a grinning Jezebel and a sleepy Alucard. He took on his girl-child form, climbed into the car and promptly fell asleep leaning on Jezebel. Mrs. Carringer glanced at them in the rearview mirror, a little disconcerted to see the vampire so relaxed and downright…innocent.

Shivering, she turned her attention back to the road. Parking at a train station outside the city, they took the train the rest of the way. Alucard manifested a wide-brimmed black fedora before she got out, and if not for the long hair and fine features, one might think _she_ was back to being a _he_.

Jezebel stared out the window as London flew by. She frowned as they passed an area where the buildings had gaping holes instead of windows and scorch marks still marred some of the buildings. Other areas stood empty, blank foundations standing as mute testimony to the devastation that had wiped out half of the city's population over three decades ago.

"What happened here?"

Alucard shifted and glanced out the window.

"A glorious battle raged here, long before you were born."

"Glorious?!" Mrs. Carringer stared at the vampire, aghast. London was _still_ recovering from that tragedy and the vampire dared to call it _glorious_?! Alucard turned and gave her a gimlet-eyed stare.

"War is a matter of glory…and gore. Many monsters met their defeat that day.

"_Millions_ of lives were lost!"

"I know." Alucard turned back to the window, her tone thoughtful. "No one knows as much as I."

The tutor clenched her fists.

"There is _nothing_ glorious about war! It is evil, pointless and tragic."

Alucard slipped the dark glasses down her nose and glared at the woman with crazed red eyes that didn't belong in a young girl's face. Mrs. Carringer swallowed hard.

"War is never pointless. Whether it is in defense of home and country or to depose a tyrant, war is necessary, and when mortal men die in defense of what they love…it is _glorious_."

Scowling, the tutor dropped the subject. She couldn't argue with that kind of conviction, but she vowed to include a unit about the devastation wrought by war somewhere in her curriculum for Jezebel. Alucard slid the glasses back in place and tugged the brim of her hat down over her face. Jezebel stared out the window, processing the altercation between her tutor and the vampire she adored.

Ethan and his mother met them outside the aquarium with another parent and two other children introduced as Eric and Tabitha. Jezebel gave the two newcomers a wary look and edged closer to Alucard. Ethan carefully didn't notice and interrupted Tabitha when it seemed like she might ask about it.

"Look! Fish! Come on, Jezebel, Voica!" He raced over to the koi pond that lined the entryway. This late in the day, the line wasn't as long as in the morning hours and they quickly purchased tickets and made their way inside.

Jezebel stared in open-mouthed wonder at the small atrium that graced the front entrance of the building. Brightly colored birds flitted all around them. Mrs. Carringer's heart sank as she realized this wasn't just an aquarium, but practically a miniature indoor zoo. The pamphlet in her hand detailed the collection of apes, monkeys, birds, reptiles, otters and even a jaguar that the aquarium kept in addition to its aquatic denizens. It promised to be a highly educational experience, but she worried about the vampire's presence spooking some of the animals.

Well, there was nothing she could do now but hope for the best.

They practically had to drag Jezebel out of the atrium. She kept finding new birds to point out to Ethan and Alucard. Some of the ones she spotted, the other children had trouble seeing because they were concealed in shadow or naturally camouflaged. Mrs. Carringer wondered at her acute awareness, but the child vampire didn't seem surprised in the least and she had no trouble spotting what Jezebel pointed out.

Beyond the front lobby, they made their way into a slice of rainforest in the middle of urban London. Jezebel was utterly fascinated, pausing to read about the animals without being prompted, asking questions and peering into the enclosures. Mrs. Carringer gaped at her enthusiasm. She'd never seen the girl so animated or talkative. She couldn't quite countenance it until she remembered the puppy the girl had gotten for Christmas and the utter devotion she showed to it. Apparently, she'd stumbled over one of the girl's true passions…animals.

They spent hours exploring the place, Jezebel's enthusiasm spilling over to the other children and they darted from exhibit to exhibit with an amused vampire in tow. At the bat exhibit, Alucard volunteered information on flight dynamics that a zoologist might be hard pressed to quote. Mrs. Carringer wondered if she should double check the information for accuracy, but then she remembered when the vampire had manifested her (his?) powers. She suspected the creature spoke from personal experience.

Jezebel gaped at the massive crocodile on the bottom floor of the twisting path through the rainforest levels and exclaimed at a surfacing manatee in a massive chunk of 'river' in the middle of the exhibit. As they descended into the lower levels where the aquariums were, the vampire girl's steps seemed to slow. A tick developed in her jaw and she walked with a stiffer gait. Jezebel glanced back and frowned.

"What's wrong Alu…err…Voica?"

The vampire smiled at her. They stood outside a tunnel of plexiglass surrounded by water with sharks gliding all around. The vampire glanced around the passageway.

"Water," she said through lightly clenched teeth. Jezebel looked at the tunnel, frowned, and then a light seemed to go off in her mind. Grabbing the vampire's hand, she hauled her into the tunnel. Alucard followed reluctantly…or maybe she was struggling through something…like pushing through a snow drift. Mrs. Carringer frowned, having no idea what was happening, but Jezebel remembered the passage over the ocean from the abbey, when Seras had screamed so much. If just passing over water was problematic for a vampire, what must the tunnel surrounded on three sides by water be like? It couldn't be pleasant, but Alucard allowed herself to be dragged through.

The vampire seemed to relax on the other side and they finished out their tour in relative peace. By the time they got to the café where Mrs. Carringer and the two moms stopped to get some coffee, Jezebel had two new friends. The adults watched the four children discuss the aquarium with the vampire interjecting the occasional comment.

Mrs. Carringer looked over at the other two adults and smiled.

"So, how about the children's science museum next week?"

**A/N: Just a couple of things. About Alucard and the water…I have no doubt he would have been just fine passing through the water tunnel under his own power, but he *is* a vampire and powerful or not, I still think he'd feel something. In an emergency or a battle, he wouldn't even think twice about it, but in a peaceful situation, he might show some discomfort or displeasure.**

**As for the aquarium itself, it is actually based on the World Aquarium in Dallas, Texas, a very awesome place to visit and I highly recommend it if you're ever in the area. They really do have a jaguar although she was hiding the time that I went, recently. There *is* an aquarium in London, but I've never been to London and since this is a couple of decades in the future and after a disaster that didn't happen in our timeline, I modeled it after what I know. *grin***


	13. Self Defense

**Self Defense**

Jezebel tugged Dark close to her side and crept through the gap in the bushes. The sounds of flesh hitting flesh and bodies thudding on the ground came from the clearing beyond the vegetation. She hadn't been _told_ she couldn't watch this, but she dared not get caught. Just because she hadn't been told that didn't mean she wouldn't get in trouble.

Carefully, she parted the last couple of branches on the bushes and peered out at the six men and their instructor practicing in the clearing. The men grouped up in three pairs, taking turns executing the blows, holds, breaks and throws the stern-faced sergeant showed them. Some were obviously better than others. All of them could beat her down without blinking an eye. She wanted to change that.

She'd tried imitating some of the moves after watching them a couple of times before, but didn't think she was doing it right. She daren't ask for help, though. If she asked, they'd know she'd been watching and they might stop her from doing even that. She _had_ to learn. The next time someone held a gun to her head, she didn't want to be utterly helpless.

"See something you like?"

The voice made her jump, but she managed to keep from making a noise. She rolled her eyes up and smiled sheepishly, knowing she couldn't hide from the black-haired vampire standing over her. He could _smell_ her and she was well and truly caught.

"I was just watching." She kept her voice low. After all, the vampire might have spotted her, but the humans hadn't noticed yet.

"I see that."

Alucard settled on the grass just outside the bushes, facing the men and lounging down on one elbow, carefully not bringing attention to the young girl hidden in the bushes. A couple of the men glanced nervously over at the vampire. They knew what he was and that he _certainly_ didn't need self defense classes. What was he doing there?

The instructor ignored the vampire. A long time soldier at Hellsing, he knew the vampire wasn't a threat…at least to them, so long as they didn't threaten him or his. Following their teacher's lead, the men continued with the lesson.

"They're strong," Jezebel said in a low voice.

"Relatively so. They do well…for humans."

Jezebel watched one of the men execute a particularly intricate move that landed his opponent on the ground with one arm twisted painfully up behind him. She smiled.

"I want to do that."

Alucard nodded, his suspicion confirmed.

"Then come out. You won't learn much watching an advanced class with no knowledge of the basic moves to build from."

Jezebel looked up at the back of his head, eyes wide. He still hadn't given away her position.

"Am I allowed?"

"I will make certain that you are allowed."

She didn't see how, but she trusted him.

The instructor called a halt to the class as Alucard rose to his feet and a young girl crawled out of the bushes with her german shepherd pup. His eyes went wide. He'd had no idea the child was there. The fact that she'd managed to keep the pup quiet was almost as impressive as the fact that she'd escaped his notice. Together, the two of them approached.

Most of the men took several steps back as the vampire drew near but the instructor held his ground. By now, everyone knew about the Hellsing heir, and most of them had at least seen her, but only from a distance. Integra and Seras had warned them about the girl's flightiness and wariness with adults. They'd been warned not to startle or frighten her, so they mostly left her alone.

Alucard stopped and looked down at the girl. She stared up at the human instructor and then looked at the vampire.

"Ask him."

Swallowing, she looked at the man.

"I want to learn too."

Lifting an eyebrow, the man looked Jezebel over and then up at the vampire.

"I teach military style martial arts. It's not really geared toward kids or sports style."

"Can you teach a child?" the vampire asked, a touch of scorn in his voice.

"Well, yes, but she would be taught _killing_ moves. I suppose I might be able to tone it down a bit for her."

"Killing moves are fine. She may need them, some day."

The man expected the girl to look fearful at Alucard's words, but she just smiled, eyes shining up at the vampire with gratitude. He frowned. Teaching military style martial arts to a child contradicted everything he'd been taught in his own martial arts classes.

"I would need approval from Sir Hellsing. We've been ordered to leave the girl alone."

Jezebel looked at the instructor, her face crestfallen. She was afraid to even hope Integra would agree. Alucard chuckled and a wide, pointy grin spread across his face.

"I will speak with her."

Jezebel's face broke out in a joyful smile.

V^^^V

Integra agreed to the arrangement, on the condition that they have a trial session that she would observe to see what, exactly, the girl would be taught. To her surprise, Alucard volunteered to be Jezebel's opponent for the lessons so none of the soldiers had to worry about accidentally hurting the girl. After all, the vampire had lightning-quick reflexes and a vested interest in keeping her safe.

"I didn't realize you knew martial arts," Integra said, frowning at the vampire. He quirked a fanged grin at her.

"I'm interested in many fighting styles. I just rarely have need of it."

The instructor, Piers Clarke, didn't even bat an eyelash when Alucard said he would be joining. He did, however, insist that the vampire don appropriate clothing. Jezebel already had her own child-sized gi pants and top. Alucard shrugged and took his duster off. Beneath it, he suddenly wore a pair of black gi pants and a black long-sleeved shirt that hugged his upper body. Integra quirked an eyebrow. She rarely saw him in anything less formal than a full suit, with the exception of his leather bondage get-up. One would never know how muscular the vampire was in his normal clothes. Of course, considering he could take on any form he wanted, the physique wasn't quite as impressive as it could be. Then again, considering his life as a human, he might have actually looked like that once upon a time.

"You will call me Mr. Clarke or sir," the instructor said to Jezebel as Alucard strode onto the mat. Piers looked at him and narrowed his eyes.

"Black is not appropriate for a student to wear."

Alucard lifted an eyebrow.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a student, isn't it?"

Deciding it wasn't worth the battle, Piers decided not to argue with the vampire on the point. He turned to Jezebel and began the lesson.

He started with warm up exercises to loosen and strengthen muscles and then moved on to the proper stance and balance. Once she understood that, he showed her two basic punches and three kicks. These moved didn't require a partner to practice. Instead, Piers called Alucard over and told him to get on his knees, facing Jezebel.

Integra smothered a laugh in the palm of her hand as Alucard stared down at the man with an incredulous look on his face.

"You said you wanted to help, vampire. Eventually, she will be throwing you to the ground and you will need to allow it. This is nothing. If you are not a student, then you will act as a true teaching assistant."

Glancing at Jezebel, Alucard suddenly grinned.

"Very well."

Still grinning, he moved in front of the girl and sank to his knees. Even like that, he still towered over Jezebel by almost a foot. Piers looked down at them.

"Alucard is your target. You will aim for his stomach or the solar plexus. That is here." He pointed at the spot on the vampire at the base of his sternum, but carefully did not touch the creature. Alucard's grin widened. Jezebel bit her lip for a moment and then grinned back.

"First you will practice the forward kick I showed you. Don't forget to keep your hands up and in fists. Alucard, if she drops her hands, you will give her a tap on the ear, hard enough for her to notice, but not hard enough to harm."

Jezebel's eyes widened a little at the instructions, but she maintained the fighting stance Piers had shown her.

"_Kick_!"

At the command, the girl shifted her weight onto her back foot and lifted the front one, snapping it out. She connected with the vampire's stomach, but only barely and her arms dropped to catch her balance. Alucard lashed out and bopped her on the side of the head. It wasn't hard, but it left her ears ringing for a moment. She stumbled back, catching her balance.

"Hands, Jezebel!" Piers's voice rang out, reminding her why she'd just taken a blow to the head.

Scowling, she put herself back in position, chin down and hands up. She glared at the vampire with determination. He grinned back and his eyes glowed with approval.

"Kick!"

This time, she missed entirely, but didn't drop her hands.

"Kick!"

An off-center hit and another bop to the head when she forgot to keep her hands up again. They kept at it until she managed to land a solid blow to Alucard's stomach without dropping her hands. The vampire showed no evidence of the blow, but Integra could make out the sound of Jezebel's foot connecting with his body from across the room.

"Good!" Piers said as Alucard's grin split his face. He'd felt that one. "Very good. Now, we'll move on to the spin kick."

By the end of the two hour session, Jezebel managed to land several solid blows on the vampire and her eyes shone with triumph. Piers nodded his approval and sent her off to shower and change. Alucard rose and fetched his duster, his normal suit appearing under it as he put it on.

"This is good," Integra said. "She needs some kind of defensive training and conditioning. I will probably teach her the sword as well, but I'm adding her instruction to your duties, Piers."

"Yes, ma'am."

"As for you…" Integra turned to Alucard with a smirk. "You will help her practice outside of class as well as acting as a target dummy for class. In regards to classes, you will treat Piers's orders as my own. I will let Piers know when you cannot attend a class due to missions."

"As you command, my master."

Alucard bowed and his trademark grin stretched across his face. Damn. She'd hoped he would be irked by the order.


	14. Bullies

**Bullies**

Jezebel woke early on Thursdays for the weekly play date that Mrs. Carringer had arranged with her homeschool group. She wouldn't miss one unless she lay on her death bed, but today, Alucard wasn't going. He and Seras had dealt with a vampire the night before that had required a release to level two. While not detrimental in and of itself, Alucard had been spending a lot of time awake during the day due to Jezebel and Integra had ordered him into his coffin until dusk.

She frowned as Mrs. Carringer delivered the news, but she wouldn't question an order from Integra and she knew that Alucard _couldn't_. She thought about refusing to go, but if she did, she wouldn't get to see Ethan, or Tabitha or Eric. To Mrs. Carringer's surprise, she simply paused at the news and nodded.

They headed out at eleven forty-five for the lunch time play date. Jezebel felt a twinge of nerves as she climbed into the car without Alucard in the form of Voica at her side, but she squelched it. She could do this on her own and he was tired.

As always, the playground was full when they arrived. The other homeschoolers would arrive anywhere between eleven and noon. She and Alucard were usually two of the last to show up. Before, Mrs. Carringer had always gone immediately to the area where the adults congregated, leaving Jezebel and the vampire to their own devices. Today, she stayed at the girl's side as she paused at the edge of the playground and searched for her friends. She found them on the far side of the jungle gym and took off across the grass.

Smiling in relief, Mrs. Carringer watched her go and then turned to join the other adults.

"Jezebel! Where's Voica?" Eric looked past their friend as she came running up. He'd developed a crush on the vampire's female form lately that Alucard pointedly ignored, especially after Mrs. Carringer had noticed and reported it to Integra. Jezebel rolled her eyes at him and grinned at Ethan.

"You'll never guess what I get to do, now!"

"What?"

"Hey! I asked a question." Eric frowned and Jezebel turned to him with a sigh.

"She stayed home sick."

"Oh." Eric took a step back, intimidated by Jezebel's glare and her hands-on-hips stance. "Well, I hope she gets better."

Jezebel nodded and turned back to Ethan. Tabitha shook her head in exasperation over her brother's forlorn pout.

"So, what do you get to do?"

"I'm learning to fight!"

Jezebel grinned as Ethan and Tabitha oohed and aahed. She'd told them about watching the Hellsing soldiers at practice, leaving out that it was soldiers she was watching, of course, and they all agreed it sounded like loads of fun. She hadn't told them the root reason that she wanted to learn to defend herself. They didn't need to know about the abbey or her life before Hellsing, and she really wasn't allowed to tell them anyway. Luckily, they'd never asked.

"Show us what you've learned!"

Grinning, Jezebel made them clear a space and started demonstrating the kicks she had learned. They weren't exactly refined movements yet. She'd only had two classes and with Alucard at home, she didn't have a target to aim for. Still, Piers had complimented her on her progress and she was able to get the idea across.

"Oh, look! The babies are practicing their fighting moves! How pathetic."

Jezebel scowled and turned, looking for the source of the statement. Three boys stood nearby, one of them holding a soccer ball that some other kids had been playing with. Those kids had disappeared and everyone else on the playground gave these three a wide berth.

"Oh, no. Not them," Ethan said behind her. Jezebel glanced over her shoulder and frowned at him, noticing he had moved closer to Tabitha and Eric.

"Hey, midget! Catch!"

Jezebel turned back in time to see the soccer ball flying at her. She ducked, but not fast enough and it caught her in the temple.

Hissing in pain, she scuttled to the side and glared up at the boys. She might need training to learn to fight an adult, but she'd spent years scrapping with the other orphans at the abbey. The first thing she'd learned was that showing it hurt just made things worse.

"Aww, did the poor baby get a booboo?" The ring leader laughed while one of his compatriots took off after the ball rolling across the grass.

"Leave her alone!"

Jezebel's head whipped around to see Ethan glaring at the boys. His hands shook and his shoulders hunched with fear, but he maintained eye contact.

"Hey, you're that Ethan kid, aren't you?" The leader swaggered over, leering at the boy. Jezebel wasn't sure what to do. She'd never had a _friend_ in a bully encounter before. Did she trust that he could take care of himself or did she jump to his defense?

"Have you learned to like the taste of mud, squirt?" the bully asked, grinning with a smug, knowing look. Jezebel narrowed her eyes. It didn't sound like Ethan had fared will with this group in the past.

"You're not supposed to be here, Jeremy! You were banned from the park!"

Jeremy laughed as the boy that had gone to fetch the ball came trotting back.

"The park's a public place. Who's gonna make me go?" Turning, Jeremy took the ball from his friend. His arm cocked back and he hurled the ball at Ethan, point blank.

"No!" Jezebel launched herself at the bully as the ball caught her friend in the face, just to the side of his nose, knocking him on his butt. Teeth grit, she barreled into the bully, head down and wrapping her arms around his middle.

Taken by surprise, he went down, legs tangled with hers. He let out a yell as she bit him on the arm. He pummeled at her with his free hand as she held on with her teeth and bore down on the bite. She growled, trying to make her teeth meet in the middle. The coppery, bitter taste of blood leaked into her mouth.

Jeremy screamed and a well-placed punch caught her in the same temple that had taken the hit from the soccer ball. Pain flared in her head and her mouth opened, letting Jeremy go. Another fist landed in her side as the bully's friend joined the fight. Ethan's shout rang out and she caught a confused image of him trying to wrestle with the third boy and taking a fist to the gut for his trouble.

She rolled, trying to get some space between her and the bullies, but they were fast and considerably larger than her. A heavy weight landed on her and fists pummeled into her sides. She ducked her head and covered it with her arms to protect her face.

"Break it up, break it up!"

The adults had arrived and they waded into the fracas, pulling kids off of one another. Mrs. Carringer grabbed Jezebel and pulled her away, kneeling in front of the girl.

"What happened?"

Jezebel ignored her, glaring around her at the bullies and looking for Ethan. She found him standing off to the side, blood streaming from his nose and his mom crouched in front of him, pulling a handkerchief out to staunch the blood flow. She tried to push past her tutor to get to her friend. Misinterpreting that as an effort to get at the bullies, Mrs. Carringer put an arm out to hold her back.

"Let me go." Jezebel glared at her tutor, doing her best to channel Alucard.

"No. No more fighting."

"I'm not fighting. I'm checking on Ethan."

Mrs. Carringer glanced at the boy and then a shout rang out.

"She started it! She _bit_ me!"

Jeremy held an accusing finger up, pointing it in Jezebel's direction. She bared her teeth at him and hissed.

"Jezebel!" Mrs. Carringer's outraged voice just earned her a hiss in her direction. Shocked, she let the girl go. Everyone's attention was suddenly on Jezebel as she pushed past her tutor and marched across the grass to Ethan.

"Are you okay?"

Aware of everyone watching them, Ethan gave her a wide-eyed look. He'd seen her hiss at Jeremy and then at her own _tutor_! It was one thing to defy the bully, but to defy the adults too?

"Here, now! Your child bit my boy!" A portly man in a stained sports jersey marched toward them.

"She's not mine," Ethan's mom said, shaking her head. Jezebel whirled and hissed at the man marching toward them. He stopped dead, eyes glaring at Jezebel. "_Someone_ will answer for her!"

Behind him, Mrs. Carringer had pulled out a cell phone and, seeing the confrontation, she headed for them as she spoke with the person on the other end of the line.

"She's in my care," she said, putting a hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. "I am her tutor. I'm calling her legal guardian, now."

"Well, they better get over here before the bobbies do! My boy is bleeding from where she bit him!"

Ethan's mom stood up, glaring.

"My Ethan is bleeding too!"

"So maybe she hit him!"

"She didn't!" Ethan spoke up, his voice sounding nasal and stopped up.

"I don't want to hear it out of a snot-nosed little brat! Kids get nosebleeds all the time from accidents. My boy was _bitten_!"

Jezebel ignored the arguing adults. She knew better than to try to defend her case. No one ever believed her anyway. Instead, she went to Ethan and started inspecting him, seeing what harm he might have taken besides the bloody nose.

"You've seen him before, haven't you?" she asked as she examined a scrape on his elbow. Ethan stared at her, his eyes occasionally flicking to the arguing adults. How could she just ignore them like that?

"Umm…yeah. They used to come here all the time and pick on us. That was before you started coming. One kid got really hurt and they didn't come back after that...until today. We had heard they got banned from the park."

Jezebel nodded and took the bloody handkerchief from him, showing him how to tilt his head back to help the blood flow slow down. She'd had plenty of nosebleeds like this one at the abbey.

"I _think_ we need to get the story from the children!" Mrs. Carringer's voice rose up out of the argument.

"I wouldn't believe a word out of that little brat's mouth! Not a _word_!"

Jezebel turned and glared at the man, baring her teeth again.

"Oh no you don't. You're in enough trouble!" Mrs. Carringer scowled at Jezebel. The girl glared back, her back ramrod straight and her chin up.

"Here, now. What's going on? We got a complaint about a disturbance here." A police officer pushed through the crowd, a scowl on his face. The name plate on his chest read 'George Morgan'.

"Yes, officer. I'd like to press charges on behalf of my son. This girl here started a fight and bit him hard enough to _bleed_."

Officer Morgan looked at Jezebel with surprised eyes.

"Which one's your boy?"

The man pointed at Jeremy, sitting on the grass and cradling his bitten arm. He looked mournfully up at the officer, tears pouring down his cheeks and rocking a little with pain. It was an act worthy of an Oscar. The officer looked back and forth between them.

"This little slip of a girl got the better of your boy?" he asked with a lopsided grin. Jeremy's father turned red with apoplectic rage.

"Now, see here! I don't care how small she looks, she _bit_ my boy! He'll need a tetanus shot, now. Maybe stitches!"

"Oh, I doubt that. Unless she took a chunk of flesh out, he'll probably just need the shot." Jezebel looked up at the new but familiar voice to find Integra pushing her way through the crowd, Matheson a step behind her. Even in her fifties, her proud stance and piercing blue eye commanded the respect she expected and deserved. Jezebel bit her lip and looked at her feet. She was in for it, now.

"Who are you?" Jeremy's father demanded, glaring at the older woman.

"Integra Fairbrooke Wingates Hellsing, head of the Hellsing Organization. And you?" She lifted an eyebrow at him, disdain written across her features.

"Uh…err…Howard Mathers, mum." He couldn't seem to maintain eye contact with the intense woman.

"I see, Mr. Mathers. I understand you're claiming that my ward bit your son? Shall we get to the bottom of this?"

"Uh…yeah. Sure."

Integra turned to Officer Morgan.

"I suggest you interview the children involved separately and see what stories match up. You may need my help with Jezebel. She is not comfortable speaking to most adults."

The officer glanced at Jezebel who gave them a defiant look.

"Ay, ma'am. I had planned to do so, but I'll need her to answer the questions properly."

Integra shifted her gaze to the girl who bit her lip and then lifted her chin. Maybe she should have brought Alucard. But, no. He needed his rest. He might not be willing to admit it, but months of waking well before dusk and dealing with exposure to sunlight were beginning to wear on him.

"I will speak with her," Integra said. Officer Morgan frowned and then shrugged. So long as the woman didn't speak to any of the other children, she couldn't give them a false story to tell to cover up the truth.

Turning to Jeremy's fuming father, he began issuing commands, getting everyone sorted out. Integra motioned with her head for Jezebel to follow her off to the side.

"I need you to answer the officer's questions, completely and truthfully," she said, stopping and turning to the girl. Jezebel looked away, unwilling to agree, but not wanting to lie.

"They won't believe me. No one ever does."

"Is that so? How often do I doubt you?"

Jezebel's eyes widened, realizing how her words might insult the woman. And yet…and yet…

"You haven't…yet."

Integra sighed. She had hoped the girl was beginning to overcome her trust issues, at least with her, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Will you give me and the officer the same story you would give to Alucard if he was here?"

"Yes," Jezebel said, giving Integra a surprised look. What did that have to do with anything?

"Then I trust you."

Integra held the girl's gaze and was satisfied when Jezebel didn't look away. There was, of course, a possibility that the girl was lying, now, but trust had to start somewhere. It would show out if Jezebel's story didn't match her friends', but somehow, Integra doubted that would happen.

The officer interviewed Jeremy first so the bite could be seen to. It turned out to be nearly as bad as the boy had claimed, a perfect imprint of Jezebel's teeth sunk into his flesh and seeping blood. He gave a convincing sob story, but interviewing his compatriots quickly showed several facts that didn't match up. However, all of them agreed that Jezebel had launched herself at Jeremy and bitten him. It was beginning to look like Mr. Mathers might have a case. He then turned to the other side of the battle and the events with the soccer ball came out.

"How close was he when he threw the ball?" Officer Morgan scowled at his notes. Neither Jeremy nor his compatriots had mentioned a ball.

Ethan pointed at a spot on the ground about three feet away. That matched the information the officer had gotten from Eric. He asked a few more questions, took his notes and then moved on to Jezebel. He gave the girl an assessing look, tempered by the information he'd gathered. She was small, looked like she'd snap in a stiff wind, but based on the information that was matching up thus far, she'd launched herself into the fray in defense of her friend and gotten a good blow…or bite, as the case may be…in before she went down.

"Are you ready?" he asked Integra. She looked down at Jezebel who sighed and nodded.

She told her story with a serious but resigned look. Of all the tales he'd heard, hers seemed the most impartial. She admitted that she had bitten Jeremy and that she'd done it with the intent to cause as much damage as possible, but she also corroborated the facts about the soccer ball and had a nice shiner forming on her right eye to prove it. Officer Morgan took the information down and pulled Integra aside.

"I'll file this report, but I don't think anyone needs to come down to the station over this. Mr. Mathers may have a bit of a case, though. She very nearly _did_ take a chunk of flesh out, but near as I can tell, the boys started it, throwing a soccer ball at first her and then her friend with no provocation to speak of. I don't think he'll win the case, but that won't stop him from trying."

"Thank-you officer. I assume her story matched up?"

"Aye. In fact, it sounds like it might be the most accurate of the lot. I wouldn't go too hard on her, mum. Sounds like she was just takin' care of her friends."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Officer Morgan smiled and gave her a card with a report number on it. He'd given a similar card to Mr. Mathers.

"Good day, mum." He tipped his hat to her and moved over to Ethan's mom to give her a card as well. Integra turned to Jezebel.

"It's time to go home."

The girl looked up at her with uncertain eyes.

"Will I be punished there?"

Integra frowned. She wasn't certain that punishment was in order at all…except Jezebel had used excessive force against the bully, drawing blood as she had. Of course, she'd also been on the losing end of a pummeling when the adults waded in, according to Mrs. Carringer. Maybe the bite hadn't been excessive after all.

"Based on the facts, I don't think _punishment_ is in order in this case. However, I think I may have Mr. Clarke work on understanding appropriate levels of force and response with you. Someday, you'll have knowledge and resources that will allow you to defeat a superior enemy. I will not have you abusing that knowledge."

Jezebel stared at her, eyes wide with surprise.

"You…you _do_ believe me!"

"Yes, Jezebel. I do. I told you, I trust you."

A querulous smile crept across the girl's face. "Thank-you, Sir Integra." The heart-felt sincerity in that statement made Integra return the smile.

"Let's go home."

"Yes, sir."

Jezebel led the way across the playground toward the car where Matheson and Mrs. Carringer waited for them. Integra winced to think what Alucard would do when he saw Jezebel's bruises, but she'd just like to see that hoodlum's father try to take them to court. He'd learn what happened to bullies when the full might of Hellsing came to bear on them.


	15. Mr Clarke's New Student

**Just FYI, after this chapter, I'll be starting a new story arc. Apparently, this whole thing isn't going to be just a series of drabbles, but drabbles and small story arcs. I hope everyone enjoys it. Thank you to everyone that reviews. The reviews make my day and really push me to keep writing. I luffs you all! *hugs and kisses all around***

**Also, I don't know if any of you care for Kuroshitsuji—Black Butler, but I've started a little fic for that too. I promise not to neglect Formative Years. The Kuroshitsuji fic is just for when I need a break from this one. If you like Black Butler, please go check it out. It sorely needs reviews. *grin***

**Mr. Clarke's New Student**

Alucard glared down at the ten year old child, his eyes glowing a bright, cherry red and lips pulled back in a silent snarl, wickedly sharp fangs bared. Anyone that didn't know them might think the girl was about to die, but Integra could tell he wasn't glaring at Jezebel so much as the livid bruises decorating the right side of her face.

"I have revoked the autonomous seal release for this situation, Alucard. I know you want to kill them, but you can't."

The vampire let loose with a wordless snarl so animalistic that it sent shivers down her spine. When Jezebel's black eye colored up so much on the way home, she knew she was going to have a handful of furious vampire to deal with. He didn't disappoint.

"If anyone did this to you, master…"

"You would destroy them. I know. But these are children. Besides, you should have seen what she did to them."

Alucard blinked, jolted out of his fury by curious surprise. He glanced over at his master. Integra smirked at him.

"She bit the devil out of the ringleader and drew blood. The officer that sorted the fracas out said she almost took a chunk of flesh off of him."

Alucard blinked again and then a wide, demented grin spread across his face. He looked back down at Jezebel.

"Very good, little master. Very good, indeed."

Jezebel grinned up at him, beaming under the praise.

"From now on, I think it might be best if you accompany Jezebel on all of her outings, so I'm ordering you to get more rest outside of those times, so this doesn't happen again," Integra said, consulting a file on her laptop. "I'm also establishing a new set of protocols for your seal releases. While I want you to protect her, I do _not_ want you killing every bully that gets a hit in on her. Is that understood?"

Alucard narrowed his eyes, but the livid glow in those red irises had died down. "Yes, master," he said with a nod.

"Good. I expect that once she becomes more proficient in her martial arts, she'll be more able to take care of herself. I will start teaching you the sword as well, Jezebel. Probably in the next month."

Jezebel smiled and nodded.

"Umm…Sir Integra? Can I learn about guns too? Like Alu's?"

Integra laughed and shook her head.

"Alucard's gun is too heavy and powerful for _any_ human to fire with any accuracy…or more than once. It would shatter every bone in your wrist. However, you can and will learn the use of a normal, human gun…but not until you're fifteen."

"Funny, that. You were using a gun at twelve, Integra." Alucard grinned. Integra narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't encourage her, Alucard. I nursed a bruised palm for a week after that, which you well know."

The vampire smirked at her, but didn't dispute her words.

"Sir Integra?"

Integra looked at Jezebel, narrowing her eyes in preparation for a battle over the gun issue.

"Umm…I was wondering…can Ethan learn to fight too?"

Integra frowned, not prepared for that question. Hadn't the boy gotten caught up in the fight too? Then, she realized what the girl meant.

"You want your friend to take martial arts with you?"

Jezebel nodded, smiling.

"He's been picked on by those bullies before, and he won't always have Alu with him, like I will. He needs to learn more than me."

Integra frowned. Piers had explained to her that the style he taught was a conglomerate of several types of martial arts, specifically geared toward combat situations. She wasn't sure she wanted to put that knowledge in the hands of a civilian whose moral training she didn't have direct control over. And then there was Alucard. She looked up at the vampire.

"The boy is level headed," he said with a shrug. He knew Integra well enough to read her concerns from the expression on her face. "It couldn't hurt for Jezebel to have a sparring partner closer to her own size and experience level. I will vouch for him."

Integra scowled at the vampire. A recommendation from the blood-thirsty monster didn't seem like a good reference. Alucard grinned impishly, baring stark white fangs.

Still, he was generally a good judge of character. After all, he'd chosen to turn Seras who had become a very valuable part of Hellsing. Sighing, she glanced down at her computer.

"If his parents agree, we can try it for a week. You are not to tell him that Alucard is also Voica. And _you_ will tone down the menacing act with the child." She directed this last part at the grinning vampire.

"But master, how else are we to test his mettle?"

Integra narrowed her eyes at Alucard.

"Test his mettle for _what_?"

The vampire widened his eyes in an attempt to look innocent, but the smirk on his lips gave him away. Integra scowled at him, knowing he was up to something, just not what.

"Whatever you're planning…no. Just…no."

"Yes, my master."

V^^^V

Jezebel grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Ethan stood next to her, staring around at the ballroom-turned-gym where the martial arts classes had been moved to. Keeping it in the barracks might have brought up questions that the boy did not need answers to.

Ethan had never been to Hellsing before and he was the first of her friends allowed to visit her at home.

"Your house is _huge_!"

Jezebel looked around.

"I guess so." It had never seemed that big to her. Although her old room had been little more than a cell, the abbey itself very nearly matched Hellsing in square footage. Didn't everyone live in places this big?

"Where's your room?"

"On the second floor. Maybe I can show you after class."

Ethan grinned. He wore white gi pants and a matching top, courtesy of Hellsing funds. In speaking with his mother, Integra had learned that the boy had been asking for lessons for a while, but it simply hadn't been in the family budget to send him.

It had taken some persuasive talking to convince Ethan's proud parents to allow him to attend, but Integra had pointed out that Hellsing was already paying the instructor's fee. It didn't cost any additional to add a single student to Jezebel's class. She hadn't mentioned they would be paying for a uniform and appropriate equipment for the boy. That would all be staying at Hellsing anyway.

Mr. Clarke entered the room, followed moments later by Alucard and Integra. The vampire already wore the outfit he used for Jezebel's classes. Integra had threatened him with dire consequences if he displayed any of his powers in front of Ethan. Alucard had just grinned with a mischievous look in his eyes.

Ethan's mouth dropped open as the vampire strode across the mats, his head tilting back as Alucard drew near, towering over them. He grinned down at the children, carefully concealing the tips of his fangs with his bottom lip.

"Are you Jezzie's dad?" Ethan asked in an awed tone. Jezebel snorted and started giggling. Her friend gave her an affronted look.

"Silly! I told you I don't have a mom or dad. This is Alucard, my best grown-up friend."

Ethan tilted his head and examined the vampire. Something about him seemed so familiar.

"Are you Voica's dad?"

Alucard very nearly revealed his fangs as his grin widened at the boy's perceptive question.

"We are related."

Jezebel smothered a laugh at the vampire's elusively truthful statement. Integra frowned. She hadn't foreseen the boy making a connection between the female child vampire and the grown, male version. If he proved to be so perceptive about other things, it could become a problem. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Enough talking. Hands on your knees and circle!" Mr. Clarke started them on the warm-up exercises with a voice that would make a drill sergeant proud. Ethan watched Jezebel, Mr. Clarke and Alucard for a moment before copying their movements. Integra mentally shook her head, watching her vampire go through the motions. Physically speaking, such conditioning did nothing for him, but he followed along for the sake of the charade. Except..._how_ did he manage to make such awkward movements look elegant and graceful? Damn vampire.

"Alucard, you work with Jezebel on what I showed her last week while I get Ethan up to speed." The vampire nodded and led the girl across the mats to work with her. Mr. Clarke took Alucard's place as target dummy for Ethan and before long, the boy had the basic kicks and punches down. He didn't put nearly as much ferocity into his moves as Jezebel, but he flowed through them with more grace and precision. Neither of the children could be called _good_ yet, but they were already showing evidence of different styles of execution. Both of them paid close attention and put forth obvious effort. They _wanted_ to learn.

After an hour and a half of practice, they'd each landed at least one near-perfect blow with each technique. Nodding his approval, Mr. Clarke brought the class to an end. Jezebel bowed herself off the mats and ran to Integra.

"Can I show Ethan my room? And Dark?"

The woman smiled at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Yes, until his mother arrives. And Dark has to stay outside or in the basement, as always."

"Thank you, Sir Integra! Come on, Ethan!" Jezebel grinned, waiting for her friend to join her. He raced off the mat, caught himself and came back to bow. Mr. Clarke nodded his approval as the boy took off again.

"Did I _ever_ have that much energy?" Integra asked, watching the children disappear through the doors.

"Yes, master," Alucard said, moving up beside her. "In some ways, you still do."

Integra snorted with laughter and shook her head at the ridiculous statement. She turned to Mr. Clarke.

"Will this be feasible?"

The instructor smiled and nodded.

"He shows the beginnings of discipline, like Jezebel. He might make a good soldier of Hellsing, some day. It'd be the first time we had someone trained to it from such a young age."

"No," Alucard said with a shake of the head. "He wouldn't be the first."

"Walter," Integra said, frowning.

"Similar, but not quite the same, I think. Comparable, in some ways, but Ethan will never be a Walter. And yet, that may be for the good." Alucard gave his master a thoughtful look. Her face was completely blank, the expression she wore to hide emotions she refused to share.

As much as he had loved battling his old friend at the Razing of London, he had despised it as well. Nothing could inspire fury and hatred in him like betrayal, but more than that, in that moment before Shrodinger pulled him down into oblivion, he'd seen the pain that the butler's treachery had inspired in his master. No. Ethan would never become a Walter. Alucard would destroy him first.


	16. Missing 1: The Mission

**Hello, all. This is the first chapter of my new story arc, Missing. Right now, it's looking to be roughly eight chapters long. Gonna have a lot of fun with this, so be sure to tune in! Hugs all around to my reviewers and watchers. I luffs you all and hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave reviews if you have the time and inclination. Feedback is the highlight of my day. (Especially in January when we're stupidly busy at work.) *grumbles about work***

**Missing Chapter 1: The Mission**

Exzess Gentlemen's Club, Linz, Austria

Blood dripped in a steady dribble from the edge of the balcony that circled the second floor of the warehouse-turned-gentlemen's club. A hoard of gray-skinned creatures with gaping maws stood under the drip, pushing and shoving to catch a droplet or two in the putrefying gap-toothed holes in their rotting faces. Moans filled the bottom floor of the building, awkward limbs covered in sloughing flesh carrying clump-shouldered, bloated torsos about the room.

At the north end of the building, a door slammed open and a nervous voice screamed out, demanding that no one move. Hundreds of rotting corpses paused, milky, filmy eyes focusing on the open door and the human that stood there.

The man cursed and lifted his gun, firing into the moaning crowd. A couple of bodies dropped, but most ignored the bullets as if they were pellets from an airsoft gun. Reaching up to activate his radio, the man screamed into the plastic grille. He turned to flee, but he'd waited too long. Lumbering bodies engulfed him, his screams echoing around the cavernous warehouse as the ghouls tore him limb from limb.

"What a waste." The woman perched on a chaise lounge pressed up against the balcony railing, looking down on the shifting hoard below. Blood splatters covered her from head to foot. A man's body sprawled across her lap, his throat missing a gaping chunk of flesh. She ran her fingers through his long, blond hair, working the blood in until the golden strands reflected red under the club lights. Her own burgundy hair dripped ruby beads from the tips. She licked a blood-covered finger as she surveyed her night's work with brilliant red eyes.

"I suppose I shall have to move to a new location, soon. More's the pity. I liked it here."

The body in her lap began to stir, the flesh fading to a chalky gray. She shoved the creature off of her, admiring how the blood-soaked hair sent splatters of crimson across the wall as the thing lurched to the ground.

"Well, I've a couple of hours before dawn. Perhaps I'll stick around for a little longer to see what happens."

High-pitched laughter erupted from her throat and echoed around the building where nothing living remained to appreciate it.

V^^^V

Integra tapped a knuckle against the thin stack of papers on her desk, sending a stream of fragrant cigar smoke through the air. Alucard leaned against the wall of her office, his orange spectacles and the shadows from his hat hiding his expression. Integra brought the cigar to her mouth again and a knock sounded at her door before a sheepish Seras slipped inside.

"I'm sorry, masters. I didn't see the message right away."

Alucard huffed his annoyance. He'd had to speak into her mind to get her up here and Integra refused to tell him what this was about until the blond vampire was present.

"You should know better, police girl," Integra said, setting the cigar on the edge of the ash tray on her desk. "Just because Alucard is back, it doesn't mean you're a green fledgling again."

"Yes, master. I'm sorry, master."

"Oh, stop groveling and sit down."

Seras obeyed with alacrity, trying to make up for her blunder. Integra picked the report up and scowled at it.

"We have a mission, but it's quite out of the ordinary. It's in Austria."

"Austria?" Seras frowned. "That's Vatican territory. Why aren't they taking care of it?"

"It's not clear, but…reading between the lines, I'd say they don't have a force powerful enough to combat the threat."

Alucard shifted, pushing himself off the wall. He stalked toward her desk, a pointy, maniacal grin spreading across his face. He leaned over the corner of her desk, ducking his head so a single, livid red eye peeked over the rim of his spectacles.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, Alucard. This may be a challenge worthy even of you."

"Excellent."

Integra sighed. Her vampire's never ending quest for the ultimate challenge could be rather exhausting, especially when she knew he looked forward to finally meeting something that could best him.

"I will be going with you for this. Since we're going to be treading in foreign territory and violating our treaty with the Vatican, we will also be bringing a diplomat to smooth the way."

Alucard snorted in disgust and muttered, "Politicians," under his breath.

"What will we do if the Vatican sends warriors after us?" Seras asked, remembering Alexander Anderson and the pain of his blessed bayonets.

"I doubt they can send anything too harmful if they can't deal with the threat in Austria. Their power is not what it was," Integra said, reaching for her cigar, "but if they do show up, you'll do what you always do."

Integra grinned behind her cigar, the look on her face very nearly a match for the one on her monster's.

"Search and destroy."

V^^^V

Jezebel stared at Integra, glanced at Alucard lounging against the desk and then back to Integra. She blinked, her brain rejecting what she had just been told.

"You're leaving? All of you?"

Integra frowned. She hadn't said it exactly like that, but she could see how Jezebel would take that from the news that they were going on an extended mission.

"Matheson will be here, and I may see if Mrs. Carringer will stay with you while we're gone," she said.

Jezebel blinked again, still trying to cope with the news. She knew that Alucard and Seras hunted other vampires and supernatural monsters at Integra's behest, but they were never gone for longer than a single night. She'd never had to wonder when they would come home.

She didn't _want_ to be left at home with Matheson…or Mrs. Carringer. She didn't _trust_ them. Not completely.

"Take me with you."

Integra shook her head, her eye hardening with resolve. Jezebel turned pleading eyes on Alucard. The vampire reached up to remove his spectacles and gave her a narrow look.

"The battlefield is a dangerous place for any human, especially a child. You do not yet have the skills to hold your own alongside us. Do you expect me to allow the vampire to escape while I save you from its ghouls?"

Jezebel's eyes dropped and she felt sick.

"No, Alu."

"Then, you understand why you must stay here?"

"Yes, Alu."

"Good." He slipped his spectacles back on while Jezebel stared at her feet, fighting with the queasy feeling in her stomach. She didn't really understand why the thought of them leaving bothered her so much. She had no doubt that Alucard would return to her, come Hell or high water, but for some reason, the thought of being separated from all of them: Integra, Alucard _and_ Seras, felt like disaster.

At bedtime, Jezebel didn't even pretend to try to sleep in her own bed. She bathed and brushed her teeth, donned her pajamas, grabbed her stuffed wolf and padded downstairs to Alucard's room. He sat in his chair, pieces of the Casull set out on the table beside him. A second gun sat on the table, one she had never seen before.

The vampire glanced up as she padded across the floor. She paused in front of him, uncertain of her welcome after he'd had to be stern with her earlier. The vampire studied her for a moment and then set the barrel and bore brush in his hands back on the table. Feeling a sense of relief, Jezebel hurried to climb up into his lap and curled there, the stuffed wolf tucked under her chin. Alucard curved his arms around her and set his chin on the top of her head.

"I don't remember that gun," Jezebel said, pointing at the black monstrosity on the table. Alucard reached for it.

"This is a replica of a gun I lost at the Razing of London. They've been trying to duplicate it for a while. It's almost right."

"They?"

"The Hellsing gun smiths. I don't think they'll ever duplicate the Jackal perfectly, but this one is serviceable."

Jezebel studied the gun in his hands. She knew better than to touch it, but she liked the clean lines and flowing script on the barrel.

"Jesus Christ is in heaven now," she read, stumbling a little as she struggled to make out the script. "What does it mean?"

"Just what it says."

"But why is it on a gun?"

Alucard chuckled.

"Who knows? It was a dark genius that created it, originally. I think there are many things about that man that we will never understand."

"Who was he?"

"Walter Dornez, the Angel of Death. Suffice it to say that he was once a trusted Hellsing retainer that betrayed his master. We do not speak of him."

"Yes, Alucard."

He set the black gun aside and Jezebel leaned against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her again and they sat like that in companionable silence until a soft snore slipped between the girl's lips.

Smiling to himself, Alucard rose with the girl cradled in his arms and placed her in the bed. Pulling the sheet up to her neck, he smoothed the strands of blond hair out of her face. Sleepy blue eyes blinked open, but she didn't really see him. Mumbling nonsense words, she turned on her side and snuggled into the pillow. Her eyes closed and the soft snores resumed.

Alucard returned to his chair and finished cleaning his guns.

V^^^V

Jezebel woke in the pitch darkness, heart pounding and the tatters of a fleeting nightmare chasing around inside her head. She couldn't see a thing, but the musty smell of Alucard's basement room told her immediately where she was. Shivering with fright, she climbed out of bed and padded across the floor to the black coffin. Kneeling beside it, she knocked on the lid. Still blind as a bat, she kept a hand on the polished wood so she'd know if it moved. It didn't. She knocked again.

Finally, a thump sounded from inside and the lid shifted. Jezebel bit her lip as a pair of softly glowing red eyes appeared. Without a word, she stood and climbed into the coffin next to Alucard. Laying down, she snuggled up next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. If she'd been any larger, she couldn't have fit in the confining space.

Eyes widening in surprise, Alucard looked down at the girl. She'd never joined him in his coffin before. She had slept on it and beside it, but this was a first. He thought about putting her back in the bed, but he realized how anxious she must be to join him _here_. Instead, he pushed the lid aside so she wouldn't suffocate and shifted onto his side so he could cradle her in his arms. Closing his eyes, he slipped back into the death sleep with the human girl already snoring softly, curled against his chest.

V^^^V

Jezebel watched from the front window as the line of cars and military trucks trundled down the Hellsing drive. There weren't that many vehicles: only two cars, a truck for the coffins and a truck for the single Hellsing squad going with them. Her stomach clenched uneasily as Matheson came up behind her. Why did it feel like she would never see them again?

"Dinner is ready, young master," the butler said. She turned to him, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. She didn't dare reveal just how much this situation upset her.

"Yes, Matheson," she said. She almost looked back through the window, but there was nothing to see there. The small caravan had already turned onto the main road and sped out of sight.

Jezebel led the way to the dining room, determined to overcome her fear.

"Matheson, I want to invite Ethan over tomorrow," she said, proud of how even the words came out. Matheson smiled at the imperious tone of her voice, knowing full well that she was covering up her fear and uncertainty. She would see. Sir Integra and Seras had never failed to come home. Even Alucard had come back after his defeat…eventually.


	17. Missing 2: Abduction

**Missing Chapter 2: Abduction**

Integra studied the map in front of her, red pegs marking the sites where attacks had taken place. The death toll was already in the hundreds. This had to stop.

She combed over her notes, looking for a pattern. The best she could come up with was that every place hit was a public location that catered to men. A gentlemen's club, a sports grill, a men's clinic, another gentlemen's club… It smacked of revenge against an entire gender, except that female ghouls had been found in all locations. Alucard and Seras were still mopping up ghouls from the last place hit. Aside from the ghouls, they hadn't found any trace of the vampire. It didn't seem to be trying to draw them out, nor was it acting as though it had lost its sanity. No, these attacks screamed cold, lucid calculation.

"Get me a list of all public venues that cater to a primarily male clientele," she ordered. The translator supplied to her by the Austrian government repeated her words in German. The blank look on the police sergeant's face didn't change. He blurted something out in his guttural language and the translator turned to her.

"He asks how he is supposed to obtain such a thing."

Integra slammed a hand onto the table holding the map of Linz, Austria.

"I don't care! You must keep demographics for your licensed businesses, zoning and regulations…_police_ records! Oh for the love of God. Google it!"

The man jumped and rushed out of the room at her outburst. Integra grit her teeth and glared down at the table, hoping that meant the man actually understood English since he hadn't waited for the translation. It was times like this that she truly missed Walter.

"Where are you headed next, you unholy terror?"

V^^^V

Alucard pulled the trigger on the imitation Jackal and the last ghoul dropped, a massive hole drilled through its forehead. He lifted the gun and examined it. No, it wasn't the Jackal, but it would suffice. Perhaps he could call it the Sulimov.

Seras approached, her Harkonnen perched across her shoulders, a grin splitting her blood-splattered face. Alucard looked around the empty building and cocked his head to listen. Nothing moved. Grinning, he slipped the Casull and the Sulimov into his duster.

"See anything interesting, police girl?"

Seras didn't even react to the nickname. By now, she'd resigned herself to it.

"Nothing more than a mass of ghouls, master."

"I suppose that may be something," Alucard said, looking around. "This is a _lot_ of humans to bite in a single night's time, especially without starting a panic. I could do it, of course. Perhaps we _are_ dealing with a true class A vampire." His eyes glowed as that devilish grin cracked his face. Seras shivered. She'd never seen another vampire that even came close to her master's power. She wasn't sure she _wanted_ to.

"Come, Seras. Our master is waiting."

"Yes, master!"

They returned to the police station that Integra had set up shop in. Wide-eyed men and women watched them as they stalked through the corridors, Alucard leading the way. A couple of the men turned, ogling Seras's backside until Alucard paused and glared back at them over his shoulder. They quickly found better things to do.

Integra sat in an interrogation room, puffing on a cigar and glaring down at a stack of pages in front of her. She looked up as Seras opened the door. Alucard phased through the wall, drawing gasps from several of the station's employees. Integra sighed.

"Do you even know the definition of subtle?" she asked, glaring at the red-clad vampire. He looked down at his scarlet duster and grinned that pointy, predatory smile.

"Do I look it?"

Integra gave him a dark glare. His grin just widened.

"Report, servant."

Alucard chuckled and detailed their mop-up job. Integra sat back in her chair, staring at the ceiling, the cogs in her head turning.

"We're looking at a man-hater. Most probably female and powerful. Sane and cunning. She had a plan, but without more information, I can't begin to predict it. We're going to place monitoring at several male-dominated venues around the city. As soon as she strikes, we'll be ready."

V^^^V

Jezebel tossed and turned, trying to get back to sleep after waking form another nightmare. With Alucard and his coffin gone, she had nowhere to run for comfort. Giving up on sleep, she threw the covers back and sat up. Her bedside clock reflected the time as nine in the morning. Sighing, she crawled out of bed. She might as well get up. Ethan would be over in a couple of hours.

She showered and changed, then headed downstairs for breakfast. Matheson hurried to arrange the meal, having not expected the girl to show for another hour at least. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes and frowned, but didn't question her. He knew she wouldn't talk to him, even if she needed to talk to someone. Perhaps she would talk to her friend.

Jezebel worked on her homework until Matheson announced Ethan's arrival at eleven. He had his own stack of homework, but he'd gotten his lessons in the morning. Normally, he would have martial arts class with Jezebel in the afternoon three times a week and then some play time and study time. Matheson had arranged for him to come over every day while Integra and Alucard were away and for a longer period of time. For some reason, Ethan's mom really liked Matheson and would agree to almost anything he suggested. Integra had just about pulled her hair out when she found that out.

The butler delivered the boy to Jezebel's study room and went to fetch him some lunch. They settled down on either side of her desk, and about the time that lunch arrived, so did Mrs. Carringer.

Jezebel loved having her friend there almost all day. After lessons, they had martial arts practice, then a light dinner and they were free to play.

"I wanna see Dark," Ethan said and Jezebel grinned. They headed out to the kennel, leash in hand. Jezebel had started training the pup a month ago with help from one of the Hellsing soldiers that had worked with dogs in his youth. She called him out of his doghouse, clipped the leash on and brought him out into the lighted yard where she did the training.

As the sun began to set, she showed Ethan what she'd been working on with the pup. That only lasted until the boy found a stick and tried teaching Dark how to fetch.

There wasn't much teaching to it. Ethan threw the stick and the gangly, half-grown black pup took off after it, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Jezebel giggled, eyes bright and ran after the pup. He tried to make off with the stick instead of bringing it back and Jezebel and Ethan chased after him together.

They gallivanted about the play yard, laughing and bumping into each other. Just as the last of the golden sunset faded from the sky, the light over the play yard went out.

Jezebel stopped, staring up at the light pole. Beyond it, the Hellsing mansion stood, a dark hulk against the deep blue sky, not a light on in the entire building.

"What happened?" Ethan asked, coming up beside her.

"I don't know. I've never seen the lights go out like this." She looked around, frowning. "We better get back inside. Come on, Dark."

She led the pup to the kennel and opened the door. He whined and yipped, trying to twist out of her grasp.

"Stop that! I know you don't want to go back inside, but I have to make sure everything is okay. We'll come back and play after that."

The pup just whined louder, trying to get away. Grabbing his leather collar, Jezebel dragged him through the kennel doorway and shut the door behind him. He launched himself at the gate, whining and yipping. She scowled down at his uncharacteristic behavior.

"What's wrong with you?"

The pup just yipped again and then let loose with a true, piercing bark. Jezebel jumped in surprise and then arms closed around her, a gloved hand covering her mouth.

She jerked, struggling against the arms wrapped around her. They lifted her from the ground, holding her tight against the chest of a tall body. She screamed but the sound came out muffled by the hand over her mouth. She flailed her legs and tried to bite the hand over her mouth, but her captor held her with ease. He turned with her and took off running, racing toward the trees in the back quarter.

Jezebel twisted and fought, trying to jerk her head back to dislodge the hand over her mouth. Branches whipped over them as her captor plunged into the trees. If she could just get one good scream out, surely Matheson would hear her. Behind them, Dark's voice rose up in a sad, mournful howl.

She never got the chance to scream. Her captor broke out of the trees and slipped through a hole clipped into the metal fencing at the back of the property. A road ran along the fence with a dark van pulled off onto the curb. The back doors were open and her captor tossed her inside. She got out a strangled screech before more hands descended on her, pressing a strip of duct tape over her lips and binding her arms behind her back with more of the same. They taped her ankles as well and then dropped her next to another small body with a thatch of brown hair.

Ethan had been similarly trussed up and moaned as she rolled against him. Tears of fear and anger leaked out of the corners of her eyes. The doors to the van slammed shut at their feet and the van took off, spewing gravel from the back tires.

V^^^V

Integra scowled down at the papers in front of her as Alucard lounged in a chair tilted against the wall, his fedora pulled down over his eyes. Boredom radiated off the vampire like a palpable force. She couldn't exactly send him out hunting. Not in foreign territory. She was almost ready to just send him out into the city to comb the streets and see if he could sense the creature. It had to be better than this waiting.

The cell phone on the table went off. Frowning, she picked it up and looked at the caller ID.

Matheson? She swiped the screen to take the call.

"Yes?" she said. Alucard froze at the first words from the voice on the other end of the line. Integra's face grew pale and her eyes flicked to the vampire, knowing he could hear what Matheson was saying. His head lifted, those red eyes glowing bright enough to pierce through the orange lenses. A low growl rumbled up out of his chest as Matheson explained how the power had been cut to the Hellsing grounds and now they couldn't find Jezebel.


	18. Missing 3: Captive

**Whelp, I suppose I have to give it away, now, to explain what I need to. Heinkel is back. *grin* So, as always, his speech is a pain in my south end, but for my lovely readers, I'm including a translation in parenthesis immediately after his quotes of what he said. I suppose I could stop writing his speech impediment…but what would be the fun in that? *grin***

**Also…for anyone who hasn't actually read Legacy of Hellsing or missed my notes about Heinkel in that fic, I write Heinkel as male. There are a lot of reasons for this, but chief among them is that my first exposure to Hellsing was the manga and Heinkel looked like a guy to me in the manga. Case in point, check out the first page of chapter 6 in the manga. That isn't just flat-chested. Heinkel looks like a guy. Since Hirano has actually stated that Heinkel is neither male, nor female, I went with my first impression. (Personally, I think Hirano got tired of people asking him if his characters were guys or girls and refused to say with that one just to be a pain in the rear.)**

**Missing Chapter 3: Captive**

"_Release me, master_!"

Alucard's roar echoed around the tiny room. Integra glared up at him, her own stomach tied up in sick knots. She wanted nothing more than to release him to level zero and send him back to England after her lost heir, but someone had to keep a level head.

"We don't know if she has been taken or is simply lost on Hellsing grounds. _You_ have a job to do here."

Alucard snarled as he paced up and down the narrow confines of the interrogation room. Black tendrils snaked out of his hair. Integra recognized the seal release for the basest level of his powers, the one that let loose any time a Hellsing was in danger.

"Then release me to pursue the creature here!"

"What are you talking about? You _are_ released. That's what we're here for!"

"No. I am sitting here, awaiting your orders, master. On any other day, the game would amuse, but that incompetent butler has lost your heir!"

Integra stood, bracing herself against the table and glaring at her vampire.

"Do you mean to tell me that while we have been waiting for this creature to strike, to kill again, you were capable of locating it all along?"

Alucard turned, a sardonic smirk on his face.

"Of course, master. Have you truly forgotten how many monsters I located for you in your youth?" He advanced on her, the smirk dropping from his lips. "When you sealed me again, you redefined the requirements of my autonomous release. I don't have the freedom to act under my own judgment that I once did. I _cannot_ pursue this creature until you order me to and you have not given that order."

Integra clenched her teeth, enraged that he had conveniently failed to mention how her new seals limited him. How many lives had been lost due to that? She tried to think back over the creatures they'd destroyed since Alucard's return, but there were too many variables and no way to know what could have been.

"Damn you, Alucard! Go! Search and destroy! I release the seals to your judgment until the creature in Linz is destroyed!"

Normally, Alucard would have laughed, delighted by the release to freedom and having successfully nettled his master. This time, he simply dissolved into the hoard of bats, the red of his eyes glowing like windows into the depths of hell until they vanished in a flurry of flapping wings.

V^^^V

Jezebel jerked awake, tears streaming down the side of her face and pooling in the hollow against the side of her nose. Her shoulders and arms ached. She tried to adjust them to a more comfortable position only to have the pain in her shoulders ratchet up as she discovered she couldn't move them. Her eyes flew open as memories of the rough arms grabbing her up and the van making off with her and Ethan came flooding back. What she had thought to be an elaborate nightmare turned out to be all too real.

The floor beneath her side shifted, seeming to lurch a little and sway under her. She rolled over, eyes wide, only to fall off the edge of the seat she'd been laying on.

She hit the floor and her back arched as pins and needles raced down her aching arms, held at an unnatural angle behind her back for who knew how long. She tried to scream, but the tape still plastered over her mouth muffled the sound of her pain.

The first wave of pain ebbed and she concentrated on staying very still so it wouldn't start up again. Her breath hissed in and out of her nose as she fought to control the urge to struggle. It would only result in more pain.

"So, the hellion awakes."

Wincing, Jezebel shifted to look toward the source of the voice. Father Whelan sat, strapped into a seat just beyond her feet. A man she didn't recognize sat in the seat next to him. Behind them, white linen bandages straggled limply over a dark clad shoulder in a third seat and a sharp, silver-eyed face framed by silver hair turned to peer at her from the fourth seat.

Her eyes flew wide as panic sent her heart racing. She froze like a rabbit in the brush, terrified any movement would bring the predator down on her. She knew those bandages and the eyes too, although she'd never actually seen them for herself. Monsignor Heinkel and the demon, Araqiel.

"I thought she might fight the drug off first," the demon said, his voice like silk sliding over a serpent's scales. "Such wonderful tenacity. Too bad it made me show my hand before I was ready. You'll suffer for that, girl child. Have no doubt."

Jezebel blinked, unable to respond, even if she'd known what to say. It didn't take a genius to figure out they'd kidnapped her. She could even take a couple of stabs at the reason why. What she didn't know was how long it would take Alucard to find her, for find her he would. She just hoped she lived to see him again.

"Sirs, we are at altitude. Please feel free to move about the cabin." The voice sounded tiny, piped out of the speakers at the front of the cabin. The demon grinned, a sharp, pointy expression that reminded her of Alucard at his most demented. He reached back to release the strap holding him in the seat and slithered past the others to descend on the girl.

"Ara'hiel!" (Araqiel) Heinkel's voice pulled him up short, the grin melting into a snarl. "Do _not_ har'n her. The fhlood is only effetihf so long as she lihfs." (Do not harm her. The blood is only effective so long as she lives.)

"Yes, master," the demon growled, silver snake slit eyes flashing with barely suppressed rage, "but don't forget, you have promised her to me once I have consumed the vampire's soul."

"I do not fhorget. Just _you_ re'he'her that you haf s'orn that you _can_ defour the creature's soul." (I do not forget. Just you remember that you have sworn that you can devour the creature's soul.)

"It's pointless," Father Whelan muttered. "It's a vampire. They don't _have_ souls."

"Is that so?" Araqiel rounded on the priest, lips pulled back in a snarl. The man drew back, eyes wide, as though he'd thought the demon wouldn't hear his comment. "Tell me, then, priest. What _is_ that sin-riddled thing that pulses with six _centuries_ of evil? Is it a gaping vacuum of emptiness? It takes a soul to know good from evil. The soul is what makes the animate _aware_! That creature has more soul in its left hand than you have in your entire being!"

"Ara'hiel! Sit!" (Araqiel! Sit!)

Glaring at the thoroughly cowed priest, the demon returned to his seat where his eyes locked onto Jezebel. She swallowed hard, heart racing again as that malevolent gaze settled over her.

She wiggled, testing her bindings. They didn't budge. Father Whelan sighed.

"We should at least put her back on the seat. It's bad enough they weren't strapped in for take-off," the priest said, unbuckling his seat belt. He moved to pick her up and she thrashed against him, as furious as she was terrified. "Be still, girl, or I'll leave you on the floor!"

As if she cared, but she did stop struggling. It just sent more pain shooting through her arms. Father Whelan laid her on the bench-like plane seat. Just across the cabin, she spotted Ethan stretched out on another seat, still out cold.

"Fhut her to sleef again," (Put her to sleep again.) Heinkel ordered. Jezebel's eyes flew wide. The man that she didn't know rose from his seat, retrieving a bag from the floor beside him. Jezebel squirmed, not sure what she could do to get away, but eager to try. The man grabbed her just as she would have fallen off the seat again and shoved her against the back of the bench. He sat on the edge of the seat, wedging her body between his side and the seat back. She squirmed but he easily pinned her in place as he pulled a syringe out of the bag. He filled it with a clear liquid and injected it into her arm. She moaned through the tape covering her mouth as the ache of a foreign liquid entering her veins spread under her skin. He put the glass bottle and syringe away. By the time he finished packing up his supplies, her eyes were growing heavy. She fought off sleep as long as she could, but no amount of willpower could hold the drug at bay. Her eyes slipped closed and she slid into oblivion.

V^^^V

Jezebel woke the next time to a low roar and the floor under her cheek vibrating and swaying. She blinked, the traces of uneasy dreams falling away. At least it hadn't been a full blown nightmare this time.

The air smelled pungent, like gasoline, with tinges of musty cloth. She found herself on a coarse blanket, her mouth dry and a puddle of drool making a wet spot on the cloth. It took her a moment to realize that her arms and shoulders no longer ached. She shifted, relieved to find the tape gone from her wrists, ankles and mouth. She rolled over and blinked.

Ethan sat on a metal floor, knees drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. His chin rested on his knees, worried eyes staring at the far wall. Beyond him, thick wire mesh separated them from a long, narrow room. Tables covered in equipment she couldn't begin to identify ran along the right-hand side of the room. The man that had drugged her sat in a camp chair next to the cage, leafing through a newspaper. Beyond him, Araqiel and Monsignor Heinkel sat at the tables, Heinkel writing in a notebook while the demon peered into a strange device. Lights hung from the ceiling, swaying with the movement of the room. What kind of room moved?

"The girl is awake," the man with the paper said without looking up from his reading. Heinkel glanced over.

"Good. Fheed them, Fharston," (Good. Feed them, Barston.) he said, going back to his journal. The man with the paper sighed and folded it up, rising to pull an ice chest from under the closest table. Opening it, he pulled out two sandwiches and two bottles of water. He pushed them through a narrow opening at the bottom of the wire mesh, only a couple of inches high and maybe a foot across. Even her small frame wouldn't fit through that opening.

Jezebel just stared at the sandwiches and didn't move. Ethan glanced up at her and then seemed to follow her lead by ignoring the food.

"Monsignor, they're not eating," Barston said, scowling down at the children. Heinkel sighed and pushed himself away from the table to stand. He walked toward them, balancing carefully on the swaying, rumbling floor.

"I can see on your fhace that you re'he'her he," (I can see on your face that you remember me.) said Heinkel, glaring at Jezebel, "so you know that I 'hean 'hat I say. If you do not eat, or if you atteft to har'n yourself, whe whill hurt your friend, here." (so you know that I mean what I say. If you do not eat, or if you attempt to harm yourself, we will hurt your friend, here.) He gestured at Ethan, whose eyes went wide with fear. Jezebel gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes at the man she hated. "Do you understand?"

Jezebel nodded warily.

"Then eat. Now."

Feeling sick, the girl crawled over the swaying metal floor to fetch the water and sandwiches. She set one of each next to Ethan and started eating hers. He ignored the food for a couple of moments and then reached for it too.

"Good," Heinkel said and he returned to his writing.

Jezebel sat down next to Ethan and pulled one of the blankets she had been lying on over to drape it over their knees.

"What's going on, Jezzie?" Ethan's wide, frightened eyes made her want to rip Heinkel's face off.

"I don't know. They want something from me…probably something that will hurt Al…err…my family. But don't worry. Alu will rescue us. I know he will."


	19. Missing 4: Obedience

**Missing Chapter 4: Obedience**

Alucard stalked into the club, red eyes glowing and a snarl plastered on his face. The beat of a heavy, growling rock song shook the walls and made the concrete floor vibrate to the rhythm. Lights flashed around the darkened room with a strobe effect, coloring the splashes of blood in brilliant shades of a dark rainbow. Bodies littered the floor, a couple already beginning to stir in their cursed second life.

The vampire ignored them, searching for the source, their fountainhead. She was here. He could taste her like rotten fruit on the back of his tongue. He scanned the darkness and found her in a back corner, face buried in the neck of a man that jerked and writhed like a broken puppet attempting to dance.

Alucard pulled the Casull and the Sulimov from the folds of his duster and chambered a round with his teeth.

"Well, if it isn't the infamous Alucard, showing his face at last," the woman said, lifting her head and letting her victim's corpse slide to the floor at her feet. "What has become of the master I once knew?"

Alucard's eyes grew wide. A smile tugged the corner of his mouth. Such a shame that he wouldn't have time to play with this one. He would have liked to test her mettle.

"Katalin. How long has it been, Countess Nadasdy?"

"Don't call me that!" Her red eyes blazed, furious at the title she'd been known by in her human life. She rose from the chair, clothed in nothing more than a coating of congealed blood. Alucard looked her over and felt nothing. For her time, the countess had been an interesting woman, strong, but not as mad as her mother. However, compared to his master, she might as well be a mouse.

"It's been over four hundred years. What brings you into the limelight, now?" Alucard asked, that grin stretching inexorably across his face.

"You, perhaps? The tamed vampire. The great Dracula reduced to a sniveling servant. I had to see it for myself. I thought surely the rumors must be lies. Who can defeat the No Life King? But, it seems I was wrong. I see the seals of binding burned into your hands."

Alucard threw his head back and laughed, sharp fangs gleaming in his gaping maw. Katalin hissed at him. She, like her mother, had never borne scorn well, or with any semblance of grace.

"Even after four hundred years, you don't understand. _Nothing_ is immortal. No king rules forever and even the mightiest may be brought low. Goliath fell to David, Samson to Delilah. Even I may know defeat, but with it I have gained a master worthy of a monster's respect…and a home. What do you have but the empty moans of your mindless ghouls?"

"Traitor!" she screamed, fangs bared and livid red eyes glaring out of a face gone bestial with rage. Alucard chuckled. She'd been just as much fun to rile in her humanity. It was why he'd turned her before she could inherit her mother's propensities. She'd been fun until she realized he hadn't turned her for unrequited love and left him in a feminine snit. He'd laughed as she rode from his castle, cursing him the whole way.

"You vile, _damned_ beast! How dare you preach to me? You act as though you know everything, but your true defeat is at hand!"

"_You_ think to defeat _me_?" Alucard's chuckle grew into great guffaws of hilarity. Katalin glared at him until a slow smile began to spread across her face.

"Not me. No. I came to Linz for my death." She smirked at him and his laughter dropped off, eyes narrowing at the unexpected response. "No, I gave them the time they needed to steal back what was rightfully theirs. You may have a beloved master, oh King of Vampires, but it is, once again, only one. And she will not last forever. As low as you have fallen, you have lower yet to go."

The hand holding the Sulimov jerked up, level with her forehead. The first bullet slammed into Katalin's forehead, opening the back of her skull and spewing bits of brain, bone and blood in a great, red arc. The club's music spiked in a crescendo as she dropped, a wide grin freezing her face in a rictus of mocking mirth.

Alucard strode across the floor, firing with the Sulimov until that smile was reduced to nothing more than bloody pulp. He emptied the Casull's clip into her heart and the last bullet scattered bits of ash as it slammed into the concrete below the disintegrating body.

She'd been his fledgling once, the daughter of the infamous Elizabeth Bathory. He turned his back on the pile of ash, face untouched by pain or regret. She was no Mina, no Seras, no Integra. She'd squandered the second life he gave her so long ago. Her death meant nothing to him.

Within minutes, a hoard of bats flew, screaming into the fourteenth precinct police station of Linz, Austria. Human police panicked, screams echoing down the corridors as the flashing wings obscured the lights, giving the building a strobe effect from the constant movement. A door opened.

"Master?" Seras gaped at the spectacle in the hallway.

The bats poured through the open door, swirling around the room inside. A lone woman sat at the table, glaring at the hoard as it flapped around her. The bats came together, whirling around a central point where a human body began to form. Integra glared as her vampire formed out of writhing shadows and wings.

"What is the meaning of this, Alucard? The entire station saw you. I can _hear_ them."

"Jezebel is not simply missing," he said, red eyes blazing. "The Vatican has taken her. This vampire was simply a distraction."

"What?!" Integra stood, hands on the table, glaring at Alucard, but her anger was no longer directed at him. "Where have they taken her?"

"She did not give specifics, but it is not Rome. I do not feel her from that direction." He paused and lifted his head, eyes closed. "West, but a touch from the East. She is very distant for her presence to resonate from both directions. Perhaps…the Americas."

Integra's eyes narrowed.

"They've crossed an ocean with her. It makes sense. It _will_ delay us. Go back to Hellsing. You have authority to use any resources you deem necessary. Stay in contact, but bring her home. _Go_!"

She hadn't needed that last 'go'. The vampire had already dissolved into the hoard of bats and gone winging out of the room. The chief of police came bursting in about that time, eyes wide with panic and sputtering with indignation.

"Madam, you are supposed to be here to _rid_ us of a vampire, not inflict another one on us!" he yelled in heavily accented English.

"I've done just that, sir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an emergency in England to attend to."

The man gaped and spluttered as Integra gathered her papers and strode out the door, Seras falling in at her back. Let the diplomat handle the niceties. She needed to get home.

V^^^V

Jezebel chewed on the ham sandwich, following Heinkel's orders even though the thing tasted like sawdust to her. Ethan lay on one of the blankets, shivering. He was trying to hide his fear, but he'd never been kidnapped, much less threatened with harm if his best friend didn't follow their captives' orders. Terror, anxiety and guilt chased each other around in his head even as he fought to maintain the bold façade.

"Fhring her out," (Bring her out) Heinkel ordered, looking up. Barston set a magazine aside and pulled a set of keys off of a belt loop. Jezebel scowled and shoved the last bite of sandwich in her mouth, afraid she had eaten it too slow and that they planned to hurt Ethan as a result. She would do almost anything to keep that from happening.

The man with the keys pulled the door open and beckoned to her.

"Promise you won't hurt Ethan," she said, crouching just outside of grabbing range. Heinkel looked up, narrowing his eyes at the girl.

"Fhring the fhoy as whell." (Bring the boy as well.)

Barston grinned and reached down to grab Ethan's ankle. Snapping out of his anxious daze, the boy squeaked and kicked, trying to get away. The man barely flinched, just bringing his other hand into play to drag the child through the opening in the wire mesh.

"Wait! I'll come. Just leave Ethan alone!"

Jezebel rushed forward to grab Ethan's arms, but that put her close enough to the opening that Barston could drop one of the boy's ankles and grab her wrist. He pulled both struggling children out and dragged them by the collar toward the glowering monsignor.

Heinkel seized Ethan by the ear and twisted. The boy cried out, his body contorting around in an attempt to relieve the pressure on that sensitive spot. The man glared at Jezebel, teeth bared and showing the ghoulish rip in his right cheek.

"You whill do as you are told, whithout k'estions or hyour friend whill suffer the consek'ences. Do you understand?" (You will do as you are told, without question or your friend will suffer the consequences. Do you understand?)

Jezebel gave Ethan a worried, guilty look.

"Y-yes, sir."

"Good. Now, sit." Heinkel indicated a small metal chair next to his table and Jezebel hurried to do as she was told. Araqiel, watching from behind Heinkel, hurried around the knot of people to strap her wrists to the arms of the chair. He leered at her, a double set of fangs, upper and lower, bracketing a dark tongue that flashed out to lick over those pale lips. Jezebel lifted her upper lip in a disgusted sneer, glaring vitriol at the creature. The demon snarled and slapped her, turning her head and leaving a red, hand-shaped welt on her cheek.

"No! Leave her alone!" Ethan seemed to snap out of his dazed fear at the sight of that red mark on Jezebel's cheek. Ignoring the grip on his ear, he lunged at the demon, kicking out to try and hit the creature.

Heinkel pulled him up short, a distorted chuckle emanating from his twisted mouth.

"If yhou whant a fhiece of him, fhoy, yhou'll haf him. Do not kill him, Ara'hiel, fhut you 'ay fhleed him." (If you want a piece of him, boy, you'll have him. Do not kill him, Araqiel, but you may bleed him.) Heinkel shoved the boy at the demon who turned to catch him, a dark glow suffusing his silver eyes. He grabbed Ethan by the hair and dragged him toward the far corner.

"Please! Please don't hurt him! He doesn't understand!" Jezebel jerked at her bonds, cursing the fact that she'd never been allowed to tell her friends about her past, the truth about Alucard or that there were things in this world that had never been human to begin with.

Heinkel turned to her, eyes blazing with hate.

"If yhou coo'fherate, I whill keef him from inflicting h'ore than one h'ound," (If you cooperate, I will keep him from inflicting more than one wound.) he said, narrowing his eyes at her. Jezebel stopped fighting immediately. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall as she met Heinkel's hate-filled gaze with her own.

Ethan screamed and she blinked, a single tear spilling down each cheek. She couldn't see what the demon was doing to her friend, and she dared not look away from Heinkel to find out. The monsignor nodded his approval.

"Do not fhark him fhurther, Ara'hiel," (Do not mark him further, Araqiel.) he said. The demon growled as Ethan screamed again. Jezebel swallowed, fighting back the urge to struggle and scream. The one adult form the abbey that always did what he said he would had been Heinkel. She didn't doubt that he would hurt Ethan horribly if she didn't do exactly what she was told.

"I whant two hundred and hfifty hilliliters, Fharston," (I want two hundred and fifty milliliters, Barston.) Heinkel said, glancing at the man with the syringes. He pulled out his kit, removing several vials and a needle from inside. Jezebel's back stiffened as he wrapped a tourniquet around her upper arm and began prodding at the bend in her elbow. Ethan's screams had dropped off into intermittent whimpers. The girl stared straight ahead, knowing that if she saw what they had done to her friend, she might not be able to keep up the façade of cooperation.

A needle slipped into her vein and blood flowed out into the vials, one right after another. By the time Barston removed the needle, replacing it with a cotton ball and band-aid, she felt light-headed and sort of…floaty.

"Fhut the' fhack. Gif the girl so'n juice. Whe haf whork to do, Ara'hiel." (Put them back. Give the girl some juice. We have work to do, Araqiel.)

"Yes, master," the demon said, stalking past the chair with Ethan cradled in his arms. Drying blood dripped down the side of the boy's face and neck, soaking his hair, although the wound it came from wasn't visible. Jezebel's fists tightened, but she held herself in check as Barston unlatched the leather straps holding her arms down.

She walked to the cage under her own power, seeing no possible route to escape, and not willing to leave without Ethan, even if she could. Araqiel set her friend's body just inside the cage and leered at her as she climbed in beside him. She hunkered down and put a hand on his chest to make sure he still breathed as Barston closed and locked the cage behind her.

Glaring at the adults, she dragged Ethan's unconscious body into the far corner and curled up next to him. With her back to the adults, she finally let the tears fall freely. She wrapped an arm around her friend and buried her face in his shoulder as her tears soaked into his shirt.

_Please, Alu. Please find us soon_!

**A/N: So, I hope you guys are enjoying this. I've noticed that comments have slowed down a bit…maybe everyone is busy in January? I certainly know that I am. Still, I really, really look forward to reviews. I'd love to hear what you guys think of the story, so please review if you have any opinion whatsoever. *hugs* See you next chapter!**


	20. Missing 5: Alucard in America

**OMG, thank you SO MUCH to everyone that has reviewed and let me know that I'm on the right track with this. I luffs you all! Reviews really perk me up, and since I've been down with a sinus infection this weekend, it has really helped to cheer me up. So….I'm going to release chapter 20 to you guys waaay early.**

**For those who are concerned about how long I take to update, please be aware that I have a full time job, a husband and chores. (No kids to put to work yet, sadly. *grin*) I am a little OCD when it comes to my stories, even fanfic, and I put a decent amount of research into them. (Such as the info about Katalin. She is a historically accurate figure and you can Google her.) Because of that, I probably put out between 2-3 chapters a week. I am a bit ahead in chapters at this time, but will probably stick to the same schedule, because I am occasionally prone to bad bouts of writer's block and I would rather have chapters to release on a regular schedule if I hit a bout of writer's block than have to make you guys wait up to a month for an update because I've hit writer's block. I hope you guys don't mind too much, and I realize that the request for faster chapters just means I'm doing a good job. I really appreciate that.**

**So, here is my thank you to everyone that has reviewed—Chapter 20!**

**P.S. This fic has hit over 5k views. *dances* You guys are awesome!**

**Missing Ch. 5: Alucard in America**

Alucard glared out the tiny jet window, one gloved finger tapping against the seat arm. He would be pacing, but having to bend almost double to move inside the tiny cabin made that virtually impossible.

It had been almost a full forty-eight hours since the power outage at Hellsing. Two days. His young master had been missing for _two days_ and he wasn't even on the same continent with her, yet.

Integra was back at Hellsing, already, surrounded by guards, with Seras at her side and the entire estate on full alert. _He_ was busy waiting for this damned jet to land! The aircraft described a lazy circle in the sky. They were at their destination, but the tower hadn't given permission to land yet. He wanted to make the pilot take the damn thing down, to hell with 'permission', but he couldn't afford to draw attention to his presence there. He hadn't cleared his visit through the proper American authorities and if they found out about him, there could be trouble.

Finally, they began their descent. Alucard winced and pulled the shade down over the window as the westering sun pierced through the plastic. He'd gotten some sleep on the flight, but woken from dreams of a six hundred year old Wallachia. Red stains marked his gloves and the collar of his shirt. He hated those dreams, but always seemed to get them during transatlantic flights.

Bad enough to be dealing with the dreams, but he could feel the weight of the sun dragging at his limbs. Normally, he wouldn't have much trouble fighting it off, but he hadn't slept in his coffin since Austria, before Jezebel disappeared. He would _have_ to sleep for a time at some point, probably at next sunrise, so he had to cover as much ground as possible, tonight. Two Hellsing soldiers dozed in the seats behind him. They would do the driving, but he wouldn't be able to give them instructions while he slept. They might overshoot her location. And he _hated_ leaving his fate in their hands during the day. He'd already manipulated their minds to plant a phobic-level aversion to betraying him, but the human will was a wondrous thing…and sometimes that worked against him.

Finally, the tires touched down on tarmac. A snort behind him, followed closely by a yawn told him the soldiers had awoken. With a thought, he absorbed the blood tears he'd shed into his skin, leaving his gloves and collar as white and pristine as newly fallen snow.

The jet slowed its momentum, rolling across the airstrip until it taxied to a small hangar on the far side of the airfield. Inside, a moving truck waited in the cool shadows of the building, protected from the evening sun. Hellsing paid extra for such courtesy, but if it could prolong his time in the waking world, the money was worth it.

Obviously, the Vatican hadn't meant to kill Jezebel, or she'd already be dead…and didn't that thought make his blood run cold? Still, they couldn't be sure if or when that might change. After all, they hadn't received a ransom demand for her or the boy and that did not bode well for either of them.

As soon as the jet came to a full stop, he rose from his seat and glided to the door, bent double under the low ceiling. He pressed the door release and swarmed down the stairs, straightening to his full height and glaring around the hangar for any personnel that might present a problem for their operation. No one showed, not even the person that must have brought the moving truck.

Excellent. He would have to recommend they use this charter company again.

With the help of the two soldiers, he quickly had his coffin and their equipment transferred from the jet's cargo bay to the moving truck. The thing was a glaring yellow with 1-800-U-RENT-ME emblazoned in black across the sides. Scuffs and dings decorated the corners and bumpers. The damn thing would stand out in the middle of a circus. On American roads, they'd blend right in.

Alucard climbed into the back which, as requested, was climate controlled. He pulled the rear door closed and adjusted the earbud and tiny mic in his right ear.

"Confirm if you can hear me."

"Yes, sir. Loud and clear."

"Good." Alucard pulled out a briefcase which opened to reveal a laptop embedded in foam padding on the inside. The foam concealed an air vent and a large battery pack that more than tripled the battery life of the unit. Pulling out a cell phone, he established a hotspot and pulled up a map of the United States.

"You're going to take Interstate 95 to Baltimore where you'll pick up Interstate 70. You will follow that west until I instruct you otherwise."

"Yes, sir."

The truck started and they worked their way out of the hangar. Making some quick calculations, Alucard put the laptop away and slipped into his coffin. Jezebel was most definitely to the west still, but close enough that he _only_ felt her from the west. There was nothing he could do until they passed Baltimore. That gave him at least three hours of sleep. It wasn't much, but it would help.

"You will maintain radio silence until we reach Baltimore, unless there is an emergency."

"Yes, sir."

He heard the click that indicated they'd disabled their mics. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind and let the sun, still riding high in the sky, drag him down into sleep.

V^^^V

They woke him in Baltimore, as ordered. He closed his eyes and _reached_. West, still, but a touch north as well. He rose from the coffin and fetched a packet of blood from the ice chest in the corner. Pulling out the laptop, he settled down to consume his repast and assess their course. I-70 seemed their best bet. He might even be able to sleep again for a time. Travel time from Baltimore to Kansas, a good central point, pushed over twelve hours. Did he dare to sleep that long? Perhaps…but no. If she still registered powerfully from the west come dawn, he would sleep until Kansas City.

Until then, all he could do was wait.

Dawn found him still facing west as he reached for her, but not so much north anymore. No, now he faced southwest. That wasn't right…unless they moved her. Possible, but not good for him. If they moved her regularly, it would be that much harder to locate her. Nevertheless, she _was_ to the west. He could sleep until Kansas City.

The soldier that was awake and driving, Simmons, roused him as they passed I-435. He also announced that they needed a pit stop. Humans and their biological needs.

"Very well, but make it quick."

They didn't make it quick. For nearly twenty minutes, they wended their way through city streets while Alucard sat on his coffin and tapped his fingers on its polished surface. He was about to order them to stop at the very next place they found with edible food and restrooms when the truck rocked as they drove over a small hump and came to a stop.

The engine shut off and Alucard rose, opening the back. Afternoon sunlight flooded in through the back of the truck. The vampire glared at the bright sky and stepped down to the parking lot, turning to pull the back of the truck down. The smell of rancid vegetable oil permeated the air, mixed with fainter traces of garbage and unwashed bodies. Alucard glanced at the restaurant, wondering why it took almost twenty minutes to find this garbage heap.

"Alright! I haven't had decent fried fish for days!"

"I doubt you'll find any here," said Simmons, giving the place a doubtful look. His partner, Bradley, shrugged, undaunted by doubt. The two of them bickered as they crossed the parking lot toward the fish joint. Alucard looked around, narrowing his eyes at the surrounding environs. He might not know the area personally, but he recognized a slum when he saw one. Graffiti on the side of the liquor store next to the fish joint declared this area property of Click Clack, although not in so many words. They did, apparently, have a relatively talented artist in their gang, though.

Disgusted by the smell of rancid oil and not hungry enough to resort to the chilled blood in the ice chest, the vampire turned his back on the buildings and peered across the street. An old, tired strip mall stretched along the curb. Half the stores stood empty, with a dollar store at one end, a discount cigarette place in the middle next to a Payday Cash Advance. A massive pawn shop took up the bulk of the far end.

Closing his eyes, Alucard lifted his nose and _sniffed_. He wasn't really smelling for Jezebel, but the metaphysical act of zeroing in on her blood was so similar to searching for a scent that physically sniffing helped focus the mind. He turned and a frown creased his brow. South. Almost directly south. She felt closer than their travel distance could account for, but still far away. They _were_ moving her. Had they taken her to the west coast and then back again? But why? It made no sense. Unless the point was to draw _him_ away from Integra. They would fail there, though. She might not rival his power and ability, but Seras could stand against most foes, and with Integra deep in the heart of Hellsing territory, she was as safe as she could be with him elsewhere.

In the end, it didn't matter _why_ they were moving her, just the fact that he know they were moving and that he would need to adjust his strategy accordingly.

Behind him, shouts erupted from the restaurant. He turned in time to see Bradley come stumbling out of the building. Three thugs followed him, shouting insults and threats. The Hellsing soldier snarled back, meeting them insult for insult. Alucard frowned, striding toward the fracas. He might not particularly _like_ the Hellsing soldiers, but when they were on a mission with him, they were his responsibility, as the Romani had been, once upon a time. No sniveling gang punks were going to give his people a hard time.

Bradley hauled off and hit the biggest of the three about the time the window behind them shuddered from the force of a body impacting with the glass from the inside.

Eyes glowing, Alucard pulled the Casull from beneath his duster and racked the slide. The thugs froze, recognizing the familiar sound of a semi-automatic round sliding into the firing chamber. The biggest of the three looked at the vampire, eyes narrowing at the unfamiliar make and size of the gun in his hand. Alucard leveled the Casull at them.

"What the hell kinda gun is that?" the thug asked, upper lip lifting in a sneer. Tires squealed behind the vampire as a potential customer suddenly decided they had somewhere better to be. Alucard smiled, careful to conceal his fangs, but letting a good dose of dementia show through in the widening of his eyes. One of the thugs took a nervous step backwards. The biggest of the three flipped Alucard the bird.

"What's the matter, pansy? Making up for something with your oversized piece, there?"

Alucard threw his head back and laughed.

"You believe I'm bluffing." He pulled the trigger and the biggest thug whirled around, blood pouring from his shoulder, a bullet lodged halfway through the shoulder joint. He howled with pain as Alucard cocked his head. Tough gristle on this one. Usually, his bullets went right on through.

"Shit, man! We ain't done nuthin'! Your boy here started it!"

"And why, exactly, do you expect me to care?" Alucard shifted to bring the Casull to bear on the one that had spoken. The third thug, more nervous than the others, took off running down the wall of the liquor store with 'Click Clack' emblazoned across the side.

Two thugs burst out of the back of the fish joint, joining their friend as they disappeared behind the liquor store. Alucard ignored them, advancing on the man…no, boy, really, in his sights. In his own youth, this one would have been considered a man, but by today's societal standards, he was still a boy.

The gang thug began to lift his hands in a gesture of surrender and Alucard regretfully considered that he might have to let the child go…until the boy's hand darted behind him and pulled a gun from the small of his back. He whipped it around, sighted down the barrel and pulled the trigger.

The 9mm bullet slammed into the vampire's chest, just over his heart.

Alucard stumbled back, theatrically clutching at his bleeding chest. He collapsed to one knee as a whoop of triumph erupted from the thug. The vampire leaned forward, back bowed in pain as blood poured from the wound, spattering on the concrete.

"Take that, muther-fucker!"

A low chuckle bubbled up out of Alucard's chest as the bleeding dried up and his flesh ejected the lead bullet. He grinned up at the boy from just under the brim of his hat. By now, Simmons had exited the store, grinning beside his compatriot as they watched the vampire play with the thugs.

"Good shot, boy," said Alucard, "but you're using the wrong ammunition." He held the bullet up, pinched between his thumb and forefinger, blood soaking into the white cloth of his gloves. "Care to try again?"

The thug screamed, dropped his gun and took off running after his friends. Tossing the bullet aside, Alucard took off after him, snarling.

Knowing they would have to leave as soon as the vampire got back, Simmons and Bradley hurried inside to collect their meal to go. The store cashier stared in slack-jawed wonder, eyes wide.

"Should we do something about him?"

"Nah. Leave it up to the vamp. No one would ever believe him, anyway."

Alucard caught the thug behind the liquor store, descending on him with a low snarl. Grabbing him by the throat, he squeezed, crushing the thug's larynx just enough to keep him from screaming. The boy gaped, mouth opening and closing like a dying fish. His dark eyes showed white all around the irises, panic writ in every feature of his face.

"You think you and your piddling friends are the lords of your territory, but there are things in this world that you cannot even dream of." The vampire grinned, revealing a mouthful of serrated teeth, two long and deadly sharp fangs standing out from the rest. "Too bad you learned your lesson too late."

Alucard grabbed the boy by the hair, pulling his head back in a cruel grip. He ran one gloved hand down the thug's collar bone, bringing his fingers together in a blade just to the left of the human's sternum. Grinning with sadistic glee, he thrust those fingers into the flesh of the boy's chest, between the ribs, to touch the heart beneath, beating out a panicked tempo. The thug's back stiffened, eyes flying wide at the pain that seared through him, mouth gaping in an aborted attempt at a scream. The vampire gripped the pulsing organ and shoved, his hand coming out the human's back, that vital bit of muscle crushed in his fingers. The thug's body convulsed, the muscles making one last attempt to escape at the command of the basest instincts sent forth from the lower brain as the rest of his gray matter sputtered and died. Alucard reared back, mouth open in a gaping maw, and darted forward to sink fangs into that crushed, ravaged throat. Blood welled, spilling down the creature's chin and soaking into the thug's already gore-spattered clothes.

The vampire's eyes closed in bliss as he swallowed the blood down, so much better than the plastic packets waiting for him in the ice chest. Black tendrils snaked out from his hair, creeping over the human to engulf him, bleeding the corpse dry and consuming the flesh. He devoured the boy's essence, adding it to the army of familiars within him. Sated, the writhing tendrils slithered back into the folds of his coat and the shadows cast by the sinking sun. The afternoon suddenly seemed a little brighter again as the darkness returned to him.

With a self-satisfied smile, the vampire glanced around for any witnesses and found none. His dark smile widened into an ebullient grin as he stalked back toward the restaurant. The thug he'd shot still lay on the ground, groaning in pain and clutching his shoulder. He thought about retrieving the bullet, but left it. Even if they could get it out of the bone, they wouldn't be able to match it to any known gun. Only a stroke of sheerest luck would allow the local police to match it to him.

Nodding approval at the Hellsing soldiers waiting for him in the truck, he slipped inside the restaurant to quickly mesmerize the employees. He planted the suggestion that they hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. He couldn't _erase_ their memories, and someday, they might be able to puzzle past his subliminal suggestion to realize there had been an altercation today, but if they did, they wouldn't be his problem anymore. Certainly, the police wouldn't be able to get anything useful out of them today.

Returning to the truck, he phased through the back to settle down on his coffin.

"Take Interstate 35 south. I will instruct you when to change your route."

"Yes, sir."

The moving truck pulled out of the parking lot, leaving a stunned gang thug and round of idiotically grinning restaurant employees in its wake.

**A/N: So, it took a comment from a reader for me to realize…apparently, I've never used Alucard's hand thrust to the chest to kill anyone in my fanfics. O.o Wow. I've really fallen down on the job… That's, like, one of his favorite ways to kill people. It's downright ritualistic. So, I put it in this chapter. Kind of a small fry for him to use it on, admittedly, but he had the time and it took out some frustration for him. *grin* So sorry for the oversight, everyone.**


	21. Missing 6: Ritual

**Missing Chapter 6: Ritual**

Ethan woke with an aching head and itchy scalp where dried blood plastered his hair to his head. He reached up to scratch and winced when his fingers encountered the raw, aching wounds left by Araqiel's claws. He shifted and his bladder protested, announcing its achingly full condition. That explained his dreams of needing to go to the bathroom and not being able to find one.

"Ethan! You're awake!"

He sighed in relief at the sound of Jezebel's voice. He had no idea what they'd done to her and part of him feared he'd wake to find her mortally injured…or worse. It'd taken a little while to wrap his brain around their new circumstances, but if he thought of the men and that…thing as particularly powerful bullies, then he had some familiar ground to work from. He didn't have the first clue how to escape, but at least he could stop acting like a terrified baby.

"Are you okay?" he asked, wincing as the words came out a croak.

"I'm fine. They just took blood…with a needle, this time. You're the one that's bleeding so much."

Ethan gently ran fingers over the wound on his scalp, wincing as pain flared, but his hand came away clean but for a few flakes of dried blood.

"It's not bleeding anymore. And what do you mean 'this time'?"

Jezebel looked away and he scowled at her. He'd always known there was stuff about Jezebel that he couldn't guess at and might never learn, but it seemed a little late for secrets, now.

"What she means is that she knows exactly who we are and where we come from. It's the same place she came from." Ethan winced at that hated voice. The…thing had joined their jailer just outside the wire mesh that kept them prisoner. Jezebel glared at Araqiel, teeth bared and a low, animalistic growl rumbling in the back of her throat. After the incident at the park, Ethan wasn't even surprised at her insolence with adults, but if these were the kind of people she'd been around before Sir Integra and Alucard, then he understood a little more how she could act that way, and his respect for her bravery skyrocketed.

"What _are_ you?" Ethan asked, turning his head to glare at the thing. It took every ounce of courage he had, but if Jezebel could do it, damn it he could too. Araqiel smirked at him and shook his head.

"No. I think it's better that your little friend explain. Oh, but wait. She's probably promised not to speak of it. Poor little human boy will have to stay in the dark."

"You're a demon," Jezebel said, narrowing her eyes at Araqiel. "And you're supposed to be _dead_. I promised Sir Integra I wouldn't tell _Ethan_ about things like you. I never promised not to tell _you_ what you are."

"Ah, the wonderful loopholes children can manipulate." The demon grinned, baring upper and lower fangs. Ethan felt a lurch in his stomach at the sight and an uncomfortable pressure in his bladder that threatened to embarrass him in front of his friend and his captor. He wriggled uncomfortably.

"I need to go to the bathroom," he said, loathe to admit it, but more loathe to wet himself in front of Jezebel. Araqiel smirked down at him.

"Sounds like you have a problem, doesn't it?" Ethan glared at the demon's cruelty, but to his relief, Barston had heard him and rose to fetch the bucket that they provided to the children for such an occurrence. Araqiel hissed at the human as he unlocked the cage and set the bucket just inside. Barston ignored him, knowing that Heinkel held the demon's reins and wouldn't allow it to harm him.

Ethan gave the bucket a disgusted look, but knew better than to ask for better accommodations. They'd tried that already.

"I'll hold a blanket for you if you'll do the same for me," Jezebel said. Ethan shot her a grateful smile and nodded. She grabbed a blanket while he fetched the bucket and the roll of toilet paper inside. They moved to the far corner of the cage where Jezebel stood with her back to him and the blanket draped over her shoulders. She grabbed the corners and held her arms out, shielding what he was doing from the rest of the room.

He blushed a little at the sound that his urine made, hitting the bottom of the bucket. The suspense movies his parents watched never showed the captives having to go to the bathroom in front of their captors, unless they planned to use that to escape. They certainly never illustrated the embarrassment of having to handle such bodily functions in front of strangers, friends, enemies. Luckily, all he needed to do was pee. He finished quickly and zipped everything back up.

"Done."

"My turn."

He and Jezebel traded places and he glared out at the demon and their jailer as his friend did her business. The demon gave him a lascivious smile and moved as though he could spot Jezebel through a chink in the blanket. Ethan just glared and didn't budge. Jezebel would let him know if there was a place where the demon could see her. He certainly wasn't going to glance over his shoulder to look for himself. Bad enough that she had to remove more clothing than he to complete her ablutions. He wasn't going to make it worse for her.

She finished almost as quickly as he. Neither of them cared to linger over the bucket if they didn't have to. He dropped his arms and the floor under them lurched, a touch of g-force pulling them to the side. Ethan braced himself against the metal wall, grateful that the bucket was a deep one as its contents sloshed around. The floor shuddered, accompanied by a piercing shriek and Ethan stumbled a bit as the floor seemed to slip out from under them. The swaying and shifting stopped and a moment later, the rumbling died off.

Araqiel and Barston looked up as Heinkel stood, stretching out his arms and arching his back.

"Whe'll haf a thirty hinute freather and then I think whe whill fe ready to fegin the rhitual, Ara'hiel." (We'll have a thirty minute breather and then I think we will be ready to begin the ritual, Araqiel.)

The demon grinned, a sight that sent a shiver down Ethan's spine.

"I look forward to it." The demon's eyes glowed as he glared at the children. Behind him, the back of the long room cracked down the middle, resolving into a pair of doors that swung open on smooth hinges. A swath of concrete appeared beyond the doors with cars stopping at gas pumps in the distance. The smell of gasoline rolled in as men began unloading the bags of trash that accumulated from two children and several adults living in a confined space.

"Bring the bucket," Barston ordered, unlocking the gate in their prison. Ethan thought about trying to shove past the man as Jezebel fetched the bucket, but even if he managed that, he would have to make it past the demon and several adults. Assuming he succeeded, that would leave Jezebel behind and who knew what they would do to her, then?

Giving the idea up as patently ridiculous, he moved to the far corner of their prison and sat down. Jezebel handed the bucket out and then joined him.

"You said Alucard would find us," he said in a low voice as she sat down.

"Of course he will."

"Is he a demon too?" It didn't seem so far-fetched. There was something uncanny about the incredibly tall man that helped with their martial arts classes and enjoyed a level of near worship from Jezebel. Anyone that could command that level of respect from the headstrong girl had to be something special.

Jezebel shook her head vehemently and glared at Ethan.

"Not a chance! How _dare_ you?"

Ethan's eyes flew wide and he put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. He honestly hadn't meant it as an insult.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Jezebel gave him a narrow look as though suspecting him of lying to cover his butt. He gave her hurt, puppy dog eyes. He'd never lied to her, or purposely said anything to hurt her. She looked away.

"He's something much, much better. I just can't tell you."

"If you say so." Ethan huffed, a little miffed that she still kept her secrets, even though he now knew about demons…and from her own lips, to be completely honest.

"I promised!" she growled in a voice that told him she was just as frustrated as he. Ethan sighed and touched her shoulder.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just really wish I understood what's going on."

"I wish I could tell you," she said. "I think…I think you'll learn, when Alucard finds us. Just…promise me. Don't be afraid of him. I swear he won't hurt you."

Ethan frowned, thinking. So, obviously, Alucard was something other than a normal person…something he might fear, but not a demon. But there were too many options. Maybe an angel? No. He could assume that if demons were real, then angels must be as well, but there was something decidedly _un_angelic about Alucard.

Giving up the guessing game, he settled down to watch the activity at the far end of their prison.

This was the first time they were awake for a pit stop, although he'd figured out a while ago that they were on some kind of vehicle. He thought it might be a moving truck or maybe one of those huge trucks that carried freight across continents. Weren't they called semi-trucks? That would certainly explain the size of the room and the constant grumbling and sense of rocking movement. But why?

"Can Alucard track you?" he asked, an idea suddenly forming in his mind. Jezebel cut him a harsh glare and didn't answer. So…that was a yes and something she couldn't discuss. Fine. That explained the truck. He couldn't track them as effectively if they were constantly moving. Smart, but depressing.

The boy's mind sorted through ideas, discarding them as useless or impossible. Their captors had planned well, placing them at the back of the feeder, never leaving them alone to try to pick the lock or get the keys, allowing nothing in their cage but blankets and the bucket when they needed it. He'd never seen Araqiel sleep and the demon never left the truck, always keeping those keen silver eyes on them.

Gritting his teeth, he watched the men take the last of the garbage and then start piling in supplies to replace what they'd used: water, food, charged battery packs for the computers Araqiel and Heinkel used. A loud clank resonated through the metal at their back and distantly, the sound of running water…or more likely, the gas tank being filled. If he screamed, would someone hear him? If they did, would it help? Or would Heinkel just order them killed and let Araqiel have at him again? Or worse, would they decide to hurt Jezebel to keep him in line, just as they threatened to hurt him to keep her in line?

He wouldn't risk it. So far, these men hadn't threatened to kill them, at least not until after Alucard showed up. All he could do was hope that Jezebel's hero could overcome whatever they had planned for the man.

The pit stop ended and Heinkel piled back into the feeder with Barston, Father Whelan and another man they'd only seen a couple of times. The doors at the back of the truck swung closed with a loud clang and the engine started, sending that rumbling vibration through the floor.

"Clear the ta'hles. Whe whill need the rhoo'." (Clear the tables. We will need the room.)

The floor rocked under them and a loud crash came from the undercarriage of the tractor trailer. A wild hope flared in Ethan's chest that Alucard had arrived, but everything evened out and he realized the driver must have gone over a curb by mistake. Heinkel glared over their heads at where the cab of the truck would be, but let it go. They had more important things to do than berate the driver.

With the help of Barston and the man Ethan didn't know, the tables were moved to the far end of the feeder, up against the double doors, clearing floor space for whatever it was they had planned. Araqiel paced around, his appearance seeming to…morph. His hair became wilder, the flesh of his face and hands sinking until he took on a gaunt, hungry look. Those silver eyes took on a slight glow in the soft lights of the truck interior. The nails of his hands grew into sharp, curved talons and the faintest hint of bat wings hovered over his back, as though they existed in some shadow realm removed from reality.

"Fhring the girl," Heinkel said. (Bring the girl.)

Barston pulled the cage keys from his pocket and opened the gate. Jezebel swallowed, but willingly moved to leave. Ethan wanted to grab her back, but that would only bring punishment down on the both of them. He grit his teeth, furious at how helpless he felt. He swore, if they survived this, he would learn to protect himself and those he cared about, no matter what it took.

Araqiel descended on Jezebel, grinning that half mad leer that raised the hairs down the length of Ethan's spine. He grabbed the back of her neck, thick dark claws pricking at her skin as he pushed her to the middle of the cleared space. Barston came forward with his needles and vials. Heinkel brought out a piece of chalk-chalk?-and began sketching…something…on the floor of the feeder. Ethan scowled, trying to puzzle out what was happening.

Barston finished his collections and handed two vials of dark blood to Heinkel. Jezebel looked sleepy and dizzy in Araqiel's clutches. Ethan pressed himself against the mesh that separated him from his friend, wishing he could reach through and help her.

Heinkel finished his drawing and then went back over it with the vials of blood, sprinkling it over the chalk lines. Araqiel stayed in the middle with Jezebel clutched in his arms, grinning madly. Heinkel stepped back from the completed drawing…two circles, one within the other, with a star in the middle of them. Strange symbols decorated the spaces between the spikes of the star and around the edges of the circles. Jezebel seemed to revive a little as she looked around her and her eyes widened in horror.

"No!" she whispered and put up a short, futile struggle. Ethan scowled. What was it? What did she see that he didn't?

"Ara'hiel, it is ready. Fhegin." (Araqiel, it is ready. Begin.)

The demon's grin widened until it almost split his face. He clamped his arms around Jezebel, one hand over her mouth. He looked up to the ceiling of the feeder truck, a look of near rapture on his face.

"Homogenie is my name; through the mother's essence red; the Bird of Hermes to tame; and put away the dead." The lines of the circle and star flared as the demon spoke, a lurid red with streamers of darkness shot through, like light through water. Jezebel's eyes rolled back in her head and she screamed behind the muffling hand, her back arching.

"Stop! Let her go!" Ethan threw himself at the wire mesh, but only succeeded in bruising his shoulder. Araqiel ignored them both.

"The red elixir vitae; the raven's soul in darkness; through agony seek the way; dark ascendency to wrest."

The demon paused as the darkness in the red light seemed to writhe. He took a breath to continue and Stygian darkness enveloped the feeder, killing all the lights like flipping a switch. The floor shuddered as though struck by a great force. Tires squealed and the feeder rocked wildly, listing to the side and throwing Ethan to his knees. Beyond the walls, horns blared and more tires squealed. Metal crunched against metal in a series of sickening crashes. The floor rocked, pitching back and forth like a ship in a tempest before shuddering to a stop. A dark, demented chuckle echoed through the utterly black interior of the feeder, ending on a vicious snarl. Jezebel's voice rang out in the darkness, filled with joy.

"_Alu_!"

**A/N: Okay, it's a bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry? *runs and hides* Although, it's not like everyone can't imagine what's about to happen. *grin* Let's just hope I can live up to everyone's expectations.**


	22. Missing 7: Annihilation

**Oh, wow. I have a full 100 reviews on this story, now. *dances* You guys are awesome! Thank you to everyone that reviews. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**Missing Ch. 7: Annihilation **

Alucard crouched on the roof of the semi trailer, claws sunk into the metal as the truck jackknifed across the freeway. Cars swerved out of the way, tires squealing and horns blaring. A green Kia Sorento ploughed into the white F-150 that turned into the far lane to escape the semi. The sedan's front end crumpled and the back tires left the pavement for a few moments, then settled back to the ground with a loud crunch.

Ignoring the chaos building on the freeway, the vampire shifted his attention to the darkness inside the trailer. He knew exactly how many people were inside, where everyone stood, what weapons they held at the ready. He could feel the ritual they were attempting, a sort of second seal, meant to override and supersede the Hellsing binding. Clever, in its way, but missing elements. It might have become something of a hindrance, had they managed to complete it.

Grinning, Alucard sank through the roof of the trailer, sending a chuckle echoing through the Stygian darkness. He heard Jezebel call his name and the grin cracked wider as he dropped into a crouch on the metal floor. A shot rang out, catching him in the shoulder. The vampire snarled, not so much from pain as the simple fact that Heinkel had brought his guns into play in a close, enclosed space where ricochets were inevitable and in darkness so complete that the human had no hope of knowing what he aimed at.

"Do not approach, vampire. I'll rip her head from her shoulders before you can touch us," Araqiel called out, rising with Jezebel clutched in his arms. Alucard eyed the demon who could see through his darkness in the same way he did…with senses no human had access to. His snarl morphed back into that mad grin and he threw his head back in a wild laugh.

"You think I won't do it?!"

Alucard leveled a look at the creature.

"I think you _can't_!"

A tendril of darkness curled out from the shadows covering the walls. It lashed out at the demon. Araqiel flinched back, hands and arms tensing around the girl in his arms, but instead of attacking the creature, the tendril darted between his body and hers. It flowed over her like sentient water, enveloping her entirely. Suddenly, the surface under his hands writhed and bucked, taking on a slippery quality, like trying to hold onto a greased rubber ball. The demon's hands convulsed, attempting to sink claws into the girl, but she slipped out of his grasp like a kid down a soaped up Slip'n'slide.

The darkness _pulsed_, slamming the demon back with violent force as Alucard rose from his crouch. Laughing maniacally, he crossed into the circle, dragging a foot across the chalk lines as he went. New gunshots rang out as Heinkel realized the demon was not holding his own against the vampire. A guttural scream ripped out and the nameless Vatican soldier dropped to the ground, writhing and clutching at his side.

"You really shouldn't shoot blind," Alucard said, stalking past the shadow-soaked form of his little master. "Someone might get hurt."

Backpedaling until he fetched up against the desks piled at the end of the trailer, Heinkel's eyes darted around the darkness, angry, blind, and terrified.

"Show h'yourself, you co'hardly h'onster!" (Show yourself, you cowardly monster.) Heinkel brandished his guns in first one direction and then another, hands shaking and eyes showing white all around the irises.

Alucard's eyes narrowed, disappointment written across his features. Who knew a simple loss of sight would reduce the monsignor to a sniveling, terrified farce? He could hardly consider the man even a pale shadow of Anderson, and he'd hoped for a _real_ fight.

"I'm right here." Heinkel jerked and fired toward the voice in his left ear, so close. Too close. Alucard's chuckle echoed around the trailer as the bullet ricocheted and lodged in a desk. The vampire hovered behind the monsignor, looking over his shoulder as Araqiel stirred from where he'd fallen against the desks after the pulse of power.

"So, the monsignor holds your reins, demon. What happens to _you_ when I consume _him_?" The demon snarled, glaring dark hate at the vampire. Although more powerful in his physical form than he had been before, he knew his limitations. With the ritual incomplete, he had no leverage against the strength of the looming monster.

Heinkel whirled to lash out at the vampire, shots ringing out until his guns clicked empty. Every last one of them slammed into Alucard's chest. Even blind, the man wasn't about to miss at that range. Alucard threw his head back in a wild, riotous laugh. He lashed out, grabbing the human by the collar and twisting the cloth into a garrote that closed around the two main blood vessels in Heinkel's throat, choking him with his own vestments.

"Stop! Spare us or I'll kill him!"

Alucard's head whipped around to find Barston had opened the cage at the far end of the trailer. He had Ethan by the hair, a gun pressed under the boy's chin. Ethan struggled in his grip, twisting and fouling the man's aim. He flailed, lashing out in an effort to hit his captor, but with his back to the man, the angles were all wrong. The vampire smiled at the boy's determination.

"Cowards, the lot of you. Hiding behind children! You're hardly worth my time."

Reaching into his duster, he brought out the Sulimov. Araqiel hissed at him as he leveled the gun at the man with the boy in his grip and pulled the trigger. The blast of the heavier, more powerful gun boomed, echoing around the trailer as the 13 mm bullet ripped through the man's head, splattering gore across the back wall of the cage. Ethan dropped to hands and knees with Barston's bleeding corpse crumpling on top of him. As their bodies fell to the floor, the Sulimov swung around to bear on Heinkel, but before Alucard could finish the movement, the monsignor convulsed, slamming the butt of his gun into the vampire's jaw.

Alucard flinched as real pain seared through him from the blow. He looked at the gun and a grin spread across his face as Heinkel reared back to hit him again. Small crosses adorned the barrel of the pistol that the man gripped by the muzzle, turning it into a rather effective bludgeon, especially against a vampire. The second blow loosened Alucard's hold on Heinkel's collar and the monsignor dropped his offhand gun to draw a third one from the harness he wore over his cassock. He pressed the barrel into the vampire's jaw, pulling the trigger as soon as he felt the resistance of the metal touching flesh.

Alucard's head whipped back as the bullet ripped through his cranium, decimating flesh and bone, sending a spray of blood over the walls of the trailer. His hand released the man, the bullet having severed a crucial nerve cluster somewhere in his brain. Shadows boiled out from the wound, engulfing the bleeding flesh and drawing the wound closed. With a snarl, Araqiel jumped into the fray, claws bared as he slashed at the vampire. With Heinkel freed from the vampire's grasp, the demon launched himself at Alucard, turning flesh into ribbon and dragging razor sharp claws over the bones of the vampire's rib cage.

Alucard shuddered, taking a step back from the onslaught. He lifted the black gun in his hand, but the demon dodged to the side, slipping behind him to thrust that clawed hand into the vampire's back. The tall, red clad body convulsed, mouth opening in a silent exclamation of shock and surprise. Blood fountained from the vampire's chest as the demon's hand burst through the flesh, Alucard's heart gripped in its fingers. Angry red eyes opened all over the darkened interior of the trailer as shadows writhed over the vampire's form. The demon stumbled as the solid flesh under his hands dissolved into smoke and shadow. A dark laugh echoed all around them as a snarling mouth appeared out of the shadows. Tendrils lashed out to wrap around the demon's eyes and jaw, lifting him off the floor.

Araqiel writhed and twisted, fighting to escape the vampire's hold. A demon's power rested in lies and deceit. Against this monster, he had only the element of surprise and he'd already spent that. A swirl of black mist revealed a white-gloved hand holding the black Sulimov pressed to the demon's temple. The trigger finger twitched and the gun's muzzle flared in the darkness, putting a massive bullet through the demon's brain. Araqiel convulsed and sagged back against the wall of the trailer.

"H'onster!" (Monster!) Heinkel snarled and fired into the shadows that writhed over the walls of the trailer, hitting an eye with every shot, but more just opened in their wake. A white-gloved hand shot out of the darkness, gripped the lapel of his vestments and jerked him forward as the muzzle of the Sulimov pressed into the base of his jaw. The demon blinked, watching the tableau from his position on the floor, the hole in his head closing, but slowly. Too slowly.

"So now we discover what happens to the dog when its master falls to the jaws of the monster," Alucard snarled in a gleefully furious voice. The Sulimov's muzzle roared.

"No!" Araqiel lunged for them, but Heinkel's blood and brains already decorated the ceiling of the trailer. Snarling with a mouth full of jagged teeth, Alucard sank fang into the remains of Heinkel's throat, his body forming out of the shadows as they engulfed the convulsing monsignor. His throat worked, devouring the blood in great draughts, crimson rivulets pouring down his neck to soak into his collar.

The demon screeched as his back convulsed, curling around a point between his shoulder blades that suddenly pulsed with a sickly reddish brown glow. His back arched at an angle that would have broken bone in a human, head thrown back and silver hair whipping around in an incorporeal wind. His mouth opened in an agonized scream as black tendrils burst from the middle of his chest, latching back onto him and ripping into his convulsing body. Alucard's eyes glowed red, the eyes covering the walls opening wide in joy, that unholy glow echoed a thousand times over, bathing the dark interior with a sickly ruby light.

He sucked the demon's power down through the seal that bound it to the human, in much the same way his own seal bound him to Integra. It had never occurred to him that the bond with a human could be such a great weakness. He'd only been bluffing when he hinted that something would happen to Araqiel if the human was consumed, but once he sank fang into the monsignor, it seemed only natural to race down that metaphysical leash and consume the power it controlled. Fascinating.

The darkness that writhed over the demon's form slowly shrank until nothing remained beneath it and the vampire rose, feeling the demon's power, the millions of souls it had consumed over the years racing through his veins like a shot of pure adrenaline. A wicked, manic grin stretched across his face and a dark laugh echoed through the trailer as the shadows pulled back from the walls and the girl curled on the floor.

Jezebel sat up, blinking as though waking from a sound sleep. She looked around, noting the blood splattered across the walls and ceiling. Grinning, she spotted her vampire stalking across the trailer toward the cage. He ducked in the door and stared down at the boy curled in the corner.

Blood coated Ethan, dripping from the tips of his hair, plastered flat to his head. He'd curled into a corner, knees drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped around his shins. At first, it seemed he might be cowering in the corner, but his head was up, eyes alert as he watched the vampire stalk toward him. There was fear there, yes, but held firmly in check as he watched the creature tower over him with glowing red eyes and an insane grin.

Curious, Alucard stooped to one knee over the remains of Barston's body. It hadn't cooled yet, blood still leaking from the gaping hole in the back of its head. He gathered a fistful of the corpse's shirt, lifting it to bring the throat to his lips. He bared that fearful mouth full of jagged teeth, making sure the boy saw exactly what he was doing, and sank them into the flesh of the throat. Dark tendrils writhed out to consume the human, finding the soul still lingering, not yet fled to wherever it had been bound. The vampire watched the human boy as he consumed the blood and the corpse, glowing red eyes evaluating the child's reaction.

Ethan swallowed hard and his heart raced, but he didn't take his eyes off of the feeding monster, meeting those livid red eyes with determination. He wet his lips with a nervous tongue and took a sudden breath, not realizing he'd been holding it.

"Vampire," he said, finally breaking eye contact to glance at Jezebel. She watched Alucard feed, a proud grin stretched across her face. He took heart from her utter lack of fear and looked back at the monster. "He's a vampire."

"Yep. Isn't he awesome?"

Ethan wasn't sure that was the right term. And yet…there _was_ something awesome about the creature. He didn't doubt for one moment that Alucard would rip into him given the right incentive, and that frightened him to the core of his child's soul. But…the bad guys were dead and he and Jezebel lived. Although he believed the vampire to be _capable_ of killing him, he didn't believe the creature _wanted_ to.

A tremulous smile stretched across his face as the dark tendrils receded, showing the corpse vanished and most of the blood gone. Alucard sat back on his heels and gave Ethan a penetrating look.

"Come here, boy."

Ethan's hazel eyes flew wide and his shoulders developed a fine tremble, but he did as the vampire bid, uncurling and rising to unsteady feet. He took a deep, shaky breath and took the five steps to present himself before the bloody creature. Alucard tilted his head as he studied the boy. Jezebel had crossed the trailer, passing through the door of the cage. She stepped up next to the vampire and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I like him, Alu. Can we keep him, now that he knows about you?"

Alucard reached out with a white gloved hand, blood staining the tips of his fingers, and ran a thumb down the bloody side of Ethan's jaw. The boy's teeth clenched but he didn't flinch away from the touch. Bringing the thumb to his mouth, that impossibly long tongue flicked out to swipe the glob of blood from the surface of his glove. Ethan blinked but didn't look away.

"Perhaps, Jezebel. Perhaps we will."

**A/N: Woot! Alucard kicking ass. I have to say, I sometimes think I'm not all that great at writing fight scenes. I added about five hundred words to this today because I'd copped out on it in the original version and Heinkel and Araqiel didn't put up nearly as much of a fight. Everyone was so eager to see an awesome battle that I just had to add to it. I hope I delivered well.**

**Oh, by the way, I offer digital cookies to anyone that can answer why Alucard is calling the copy of the Jackal that he now has the Sulimov. There is, actually, method to my madness on that. *grin***


	23. Missing 8: Fallout

**So…for those who are wondering, the Sulimov is named for a type of dog that is a crossbreed between a jackal and a northern breed of dog. I figured Alucard would probably think of the Hellsing gun smiths that created it as dogs compared to Walter's genius with guns, so it seemed appropriate. Congratulations to Arrankor and senlie-felines for getting it right.**

**So, this is the last chapter of the kidnapping story arc. It's been a fun ride. I'm not stopping here, but I'm not sure what the next specific story arc will be, so it'll just be fun chapters until then. Although, I must say, we're coming up on a full year passing in story time. Jezzie will be turning eleven soon, and Ethan has to age as well, of course. I totally enjoy story suggestions in my reviews. I don't always take them. It depends on if I can logically work them into the story and the character personalities I've created. However, I promise to seriously consider them. :)**

**Missing Chapter 8: Fallout**

Alucard emerged from the thick pine trees, Jezebel perched on his back, arms wrapped around his neck. He held Ethan cradled in his arms, blinking drowsily. Simmons rose from his seat on the bumper of the moving truck and hurried over as soon as he saw movement in the moonlight. He flicked the power button on his LED flashlight, carefully not shining it in the vampire's face, but scowling at the blood covering Ethan.

"How much of that is his?"

"Enough that I want you to examine him while Bradley takes us to a motel," Alucard said. He'd carefully chosen at least one soldier with basic medical training for just such an occurrence.

"Yes, sir."

Simmons collected the boy from the vampire's arms and hurried to open the back of the truck where two pallets waited for the children. Alucard gave Bradley his instructions as he transferred Jezebel to his hip. She draped herself over his shoulders, blinking sleepily, exhausted from pain and the sudden relief of rescue. Bradley almost missed his instructions, gaping at the girl in the vampire's arms.

"Is that clear, soldier?"

"Err…find a motel with outside entrances on the rooms. Yes, sir."

Nodding, Alucard loaded into the back of the moving truck, laying Jezebel out on his coffin since Simmons took up the pallet meant for her while he examined Ethan.

The boy made a small pain sound as the soldier probed his scalp, but otherwise bore up under it. Alucard pulled the door closed as the truck started. In the distance, sirens wailed as police rushed to the site of a twenty-four car pile-up that would block the east-bound side of Interstate 30 for the next nine hours.

V^^^V

Ethan wrapped a white towel around his hips, blushing a little that he would have to face Jezebel in that and nothing else, but after almost four days of not being able to wash, the bath was worth the embarrassment. Simmons waited for him on one of the queen beds in the motel room, bandages and ointment set out where he could bind up the claw marks on his head. They might not show at first glance, but the demon had ripped three deep furrows from the top, right side of his scalp, down past his neck almost to his shoulder blade. The bath had softened the scabs and opened the wounds again in a couple of places. Simmons tsked as he looked them over.

"You're lucky you didn't bleed out," he said. Alucard joined him in examining the wounds.

"They're deeper than I realized." The vampire leaned down to sniff the boy's head. "I don't smell any suppuration yet."

"I have wound glue, but this has been open for too long. If I close it, now, it could increase the risk of infection." Simmons cut a glance at Alucard. "I remember Dr. Pelham once mentioned that your saliva has healing properties."

"A small amount. It can't heal this completely, but can establish enough of a seal to prevent further blood loss and create a barrier against infection, much like cauterization. I can't prevent scarring."

Simmons shrugged.

"Right now, I'm more concerned with keeping germs out. An infection that close to the brain and spine could be…problematic."

"It could kill me, you mean."

Ethan hadn't spoken much since the rescue, just the occasional 'yes sir' or 'no sir'. His hazel eyes watched everything around him, taking it all in for later analysis, but this needed addressing.

"Oh…err…I assure you. There's nothing to worry…" Simmons fell silent as Alucard shot him a look and held up a gloved hand to stop him.

"Don't coddle him. He's survived through this. He deserves the absolute truth," the vampire said, his expression hard. Simmons blinked, not at all sure he wanted to tell a pre-teen child that he could be at risk of dying, even though he'd just been rescued. But, orders were orders.

"It isn't _likely_," he said, glaring at Alucard for making him do this, "but it is possible that you may develop an infection. If it gets into the blood flow to your brain, it can kill you. We'll get you on antibiotics as soon as we get back to England, of course."

Ethan looked at Alucard.

"You said you could seal it…keep that from happening?"

"Nothing is guaranteed, but I can reduce the risk. It would hurt, though. I would need to open the scabs."

Ethan flinched, dropping eye contact with the vampire. He stared at his lap for a moment and then took a deep breath.

"It has to hurt if it's to heal," he muttered under his breath, quoting an old movie he'd learned to love at his mother's knee. His eyes flicked back up to meet those intense red irises. He lifted his chin. "Please. If it will help, please seal it."

A wide, approving grin spread across Alucard's face. Those sharp fangs glinted in the soft light of the motel room, and a shiver slipped down Ethan's spine at the sight of them, but he refused to show any fear. Jezebel trusted Alucard, so he would as well.

The vampire circled around the edge of the bed to come up behind Ethan. He put a knee on the comforter, looming over the boy.

Ethan's back stiffened, realizing Alucard meant to do it _now_. His hands fisted in the blanket as those soft white gloves combed through his hair, baring the first of the deep gouges. Even that light touch sent warning flashes of pain down his spine. A cool breath stirred the hairs of his scalp, sending a shiver down his back. He braced himself as Alucard swiped a cold tongue over the scabs that had broken during his bath.

The cool breath and tongue felt good against the heated skin of his wounds, but the pressure of the licks sent pain shooting through him…and then Alucard's teeth grazed his scalp and pulled the first bit of scab off. He jerked as the ripping sensation seared down his nerves, a short, involuntary shout escaping his lips. He clamped his teeth around the scream that wanted to bubble up. Tears sprang into his eyes and he squeezed them shut in an attempt to keep the droplets from falling. A white-gloved hand landed on his shoulder, tightening down to hold him in place. He concentrated on breathing through his nose, counting his breaths to work through the pain.

Alucard worked his way down the gouge, pushing the boy forward to get at the marks on the back of his neck and shoulder. Ethan gasped as he moved too quickly, tugging on the wounds. A small hand slipped into his and he opened his eyes to find Jezebel next to him on the bed, a concerned look creasing her brow. He tried to give her a small smile, but the vampire hit a particularly deep spot. His body convulsed and a short scream escaped. He clamped his teeth around further utterances and tightened his fingers around Jezebel's. The vampire's other hand closed on his upper arm, holding him steady.

Several excruciating minutes later, Alucard leaned back, looking the wounds over with a critical eye. Ethan swayed, feeling nauseous from pain and exhausted by the effort of controlling his reaction to it.

"The wounds are as clean as I can get them," Alucard said. Simmons looked up from where he'd seated himself on the other bed, unable to watch the boy struggle through the painful experience. He fetched ointment and bandages. Shining a pen light on the wounds, he felt his jaw fall open.

The gouges still gaped open, red and raw, but they didn't bleed, although they looked like they should. Light reflected off of them as though a layer of Saran Wrap covered them, but only in the gouges themselves, not the surrounding skin. He wanted to touch them, but Ethan had suffered enough. Smearing antiseptic ointment over the cuts, he bandaged them, wrapping the bandages for the scalp wound around the boy's head. Jezebel giggled when he finished.

"You look like a mummy," she said, grinning.

"Rawr," Ethan said in a tired voice.

The motel door opened and Bradley stumbled through, several bags hanging from a wrist, cursing the uneven threshold. He let the door fall shut behind him and set the bags down on the dresser that held the television.

"Sorry I took so long. Crowds were horrible."

Simmons rose and sifted through the bags. He pulled out a set of pajamas in Ethan's size and tossed them at the boy.

"Go put those on and then I'll dope you up so you can at least get some sleep, pain free."

"Thank-you, sir."

Ethan hurried to the bathroom, grateful to have something to wear besides a towel. The clothes he'd had on might be salvageable…if the blood came out. Maybe. He doubted he'd ever want to wear them again, though.

Dressed in the pajamas and fighting the urge to scratch under his bandages where it had begun to itch, Ethan returned to the front room. Jezebel stood, waiting for her turn in the bath with her own set of pajamas clutched in her arms.

"Your turn," Bradley said, pushing her toward the bathroom. She didn't argue, as eager to get cleaned up as Ethan had been. The bed farthest from the door had been turned back, waiting for the children. Simmons handed him a small pill, cut in half, and a cup of milk.

"No food for you until we see if the morphine kicks you in the gut or not."

Ethan took the piece of pill and placed it on the back of his tongue. He chased it with the milk, drinking it all down at Simmons's urging. Finished with that, he climbed into bed and pushed his legs under the covers. It felt good to be laying on something soft again. Blinking drowsily, he looked around the room and it finally hit him. He was safe, rescued. Turning his head, he found Alucard sitting on the top of his coffin which he had placed between Jezebel's side of the bed and the wall of the bathroom. He had the Sulimov out, five clips spread out in a fan across the top of his coffin. One by one, he refilled them with bullets from a black case with a cross inscribed on the top.

Ethan remembered the roar of that gun, how his ears rang with the blast. Or maybe it was the other one that had virtually deafened him. He hadn't been able to see them, but each gun had a distinctive sound to it. No one would ever mistake one for the other.

"Mister Alucard? Sir?"

The vampire looked up, the red eyes marking him out as something other than human. Ethan wondered why he'd never noticed before, but then he remembered the orange sunglasses the vampire always wore during the martial arts classes he took at Hellsing. Before now, he'd never seen Alucard's eyes.

"Umm…what do I need to tell my parents when we get home? I know…I know I can't tell them the _truth_. Or…are you just going to put a story in my head? Make me forget?"

Alucard tilted his head at the boy, a thoughtful look on his face. Definitely intuitive, especially for a child.

"I wonder if it would stick if I tried. Not everyone is so easily manipulated. Do you _want_ to forget?"

Ethan shook his head vehemently and then winced as the sudden movement jarred his injury. The pain killer hadn't quite kicked in yet.

"I want to _learn_," he said. "I want to be like you…strong, so this doesn't happen again. I want to be able to stop them next time."

The vampire grinned, liking that answer.

"What makes you think there will be a next time?"

Ethan gave Alucard a _look_, which made the vampire chuckle. Simmons and Bradley looked up at the dark sound, a little too much white showing around their irises.

"It's true. Jezebel is being groomed for a dangerous position. Her life will often be at risk, as well as those close to her. We had hoped it would not touch her so deeply, so quickly, but the enemies of Hellsing do not respect age or experience. Are you certain you want to be part of that?"

"Aren't I, already? Jezzie is my friend. I don't want to _stop_ being her friend, so I'll have to become strong enough to survive as her friend."

Alucard's grin spread, stretching across his face and widening his eyes with a touch of demented glee. The two Hellsing soldiers looked away, unsettled by that grin, but Ethan smiled back. That look reminded him of Jezebel when she had a wild hair up her bum and the devil in her thoughts. They had the most fun, then.

Alucard reached out, setting a hand on the uninjured side of Ethan's head and ruffling the tufts of hair sticking up out of the bandages.

"You'll do, boy. You'll do. We'll have a story for you before you go home. Just be sure that you stick to it."

"Yes, sir," Ethan said, grinning. "I will, sir."

V^^^V

By the time Ethan's mom collected him at Hellsing, he had a convincing story of ransom demands and a dramatic rescue by a taskforce of royal police who would all back up the story if asked. Integra drilled him until he had the facts straight, complete with a couple of deviations from the official story, just to make it truly believable.

Abigail Sumner rushed past Matheson as soon as the door opened, looking frantically about the great front hall of the Hellsing mansion for her son.

"Where is he?" she snarled at the butler.

"Mom?" Ethan came from the front parlor where he'd waited once Integra called his mother with the good news. "Mom!"

She rushed to scoop him up, crushing him to her, tears pouring down her cheeks. Ethan squeaked, writhing in her grasp with one of her hands pressing on the shoulder that had the gouges trailing down it.

"Ow, mom! It hurts."

Mrs. Sumner put him down immediately, eyes widening as she took in the bandages swathing his head.

"What _happened_?!"

Integra stood with a sigh.

"As we discussed on the phone, Ethan took an injury during the incident. I'm sure he'll tell you all about it."

"And what happened to these…_criminals_?!"

"They were dealt with. Please Mrs. Sumner. I'm sure Ethan is exhausted. I'll be happy to meet with you any time you want to answer your questions…after the investigation is complete."

Mrs. Sumner narrowed her eyes at the woman, refusing to be intimidated by her regal bearing.

"No. I don't think I will, if it's all the same to you. This place is far too dangerous for me or my son. I'll be taking my leave, now, and I expect your people to leave us alone. Good day to you, madam."

"What? But mom…"

"No, sir. We are _leaving_."

Ethan looked mournfully over his shoulder at Jezebel as his mom dragged him back out into the foyer and through the front door. Integra didn't even try to argue with that frantic tone of voice. Mrs. Sumner wasn't ready to listen to anything they had to say. Jezebel looked up at her, eyes wide and tears building as it sank in that Ethan's mom didn't want her around her son anymore.

"Did she mean it, Sir Integra? Do you think she'll ever let Ethan come back?"

Integra sighed and reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. It would almost be easier if Jezebel didn't have friends…but, no. Even she had to admit that the girl's friendship with the homeschool children, especially Ethan, had helped curb her more Alucardish tendencies.

"I don't know, Jezebel. She needs time. She's frightened for her son's life…and with good reason. He could have died." She turned to the girl and it sent a pang through her chest to see the way Jezebel stared at the front door as though her happiness had just fled through it. A part of it had. "We'll see what happens."

**A/N: So, internet cookies to anyone that can identify where the quote 'It has to hurt if it's to heal' comes from. Googling it is not allowed. :p It happens to be from one of my all time favorite movies, EVAR, so…yeah. *grin***


	24. Manipulation

**Just so people will know, the quote that I used in the last chapter is from The Neverending Story. I always loved that movie as a kid and that quote, especially, always struck me. Pain is part of life and when you're injured, the pain reminds you that you're at least still alive. :)**

**Manipulation**

Jezebel stared out the window and sighed. Mrs. Carringer frowned. It wasn't like the girl to be distracted so easily. Of course, she knew what the problem was, but she had no idea what she could do about it.

"Do you think he'll be there tomorrow?" Jezebel asked. Her tutor sighed.

"I don't know. We'll find out tomorrow."

Jezebel bit her lip and stared down at the paper in front of her. Deciding she wouldn't get anything else out of her pupil, Mrs. Carringer ended the lesson and released Jezebel to her evening activities.

The girl gathered her books and papers, storing them in the small desk in the study room before heading out the door to find Dark. It had been almost a month since Ethan had crossed the Hellsing doorstep.

She hurried down the stairs to the first floor and out the door to Dark's kennel. She tried not to show her disappointment, especially in front of Mrs. Carringer, but she _missed_ her friend.

Dark barked as she approached, tongue hanging out of his mouth in a canine grin. She couldn't help but smile at the lanky, almost full-grown pup. She let the dog out of his kennel, grabbed a stick and tossed it. Dark tore off after it. Jezebel watched him, only half smiling at his antics.

Integra sat on the wooden bench in the east garden, smoke wreathing about her head as she enjoyed the warmth of the late afternoon sun. She could see Jezebel, but didn't think the girl knew she was there. Bringing the cigar to her lips, she inhaled, the wheels in her mind turning.

She could puzzle out mysterious deaths and obscure Nazi references. She had faced monsters, death and betrayal. _Why_ couldn't she get one human woman to bend to her will? Mrs. Sumner wouldn't even pick up the phone anymore.

If Mrs. Sumner had simply decided out of the blue that she didn't want her child associating with Jezebel, Integra would leave it alone and tell the girl that sometimes, life just sucked, but Ethan knew things that could be a danger to himself and Hellsing, in the wrong hands. Although Alucard had killed everyone directly involved in the kidnapping, she knew Heinkel must have reported back to someone in Rome. If he'd mentioned the boy to the wrong people, that would make Ethan, and his family, a target. She needed to at least be in contact with them, preferably in a way that she could monitor Ethan's actions. She'd given the woman a month, but if she didn't come around soon, she'd have to resort to vampiric measures.

Putting the cigar out, the head of Hellsing rose and returned to her office, intent on trying one last time to bring the Sumners around.

Picking up the phone, she dialed. No one answered on the first round of rings. She hung up on the electronic voice that told her the phone was not accepting voice mails from her phone number. She dialed through again. On the third attempt, the other end of the line picked up.

"Oh, God, leave us _alone_! We want nothing to do with you people!" Click.

Integra sighed at the frantic voice. If she _could_ leave them alone, she would. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Slipping the phone back in her pocket, she turned to her computer, using her access to government databases to locate the Sumner home.

V^^^V

Alucard felt his master's summons as soon as he woke at sunset. It wasn't urgent or she would have woken him earlier. Fetching a blood packet from the table beside his door, he took it with him to her office.

Integra looked up as the vampire phased through the wall, sipping at the bag of blood in his hand.

"I have a mission for you…of sorts. _No killing_."

Alucard's eyes widened. _All_ of his missions involved killing…eventually.

"It's been a month and I think the Sumners are more wary of us than ever."

Alucard glided across her office to slump into a chair in front of the desk. He pulled the orange spectacles down his nose, giving her a devilish look complete with leering, fanged grin.

"I thought you said no killing."

"I _did_!" Integra gave the bloody-minded vampire a _look_. "I can't leave Ethan without some kind of surveillance. I need to be able to observe him, preferably interact with him. I would just have you plant a suggestion to make him forget, or at least not act on his knowledge, but that wouldn't stop the Vatican from going after him if they feel so inclined."

Alucard sat back in the chair, smirking at his master. She narrowed her eyes at him. Did he know something she didn't?

"What?"

"I need my orders, master."

That wasn't it. She _knew_ that wasn't it, but she wasn't willing to use the seal to force the answer out of him. As always, she had to pick her battles with the infuriating vampire.

"The arrangement we had before the incident was ideal. I need _you_ to convince his parents to allow it. Preferably without terrorizing them. I don't need them poisoning him against us."

"And if their wills are too strong?"

Integra sighed and glared at her vampire.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Smirking, Alucard stood, pushing the spectacles up his nose. Integra slid a paper with information about the Sumners across the desk. The vampire picked it up, glancing it over.

"Do _not_ kill them. If there is a problem, _call_ and I'll send a squad over."

"Yes, my master."

The vampire gave a low bow and left the office, actually bothering to use the door for once.

V^^^V

Ethan slumped on the couch, crammed between his mother and father, staring at the T.V. in front of them. He'd never minded family night, until now. Maybe if he didn't feel like a prisoner in his own home, he still wouldn't.

For a month, he'd tried to convince his mom that it wasn't Hellsing's fault he'd been kidnapped and hurt…well, not _directly_. She wasn't going for it, though. Instead, he was now grounded for arguing and she kept extending it, every time he brought the subject up.

Would Sir Integra take him in if he ran away from home? Maybe.

A knock sounded at the door and his parents looked at each other over his head. They weren't expecting anyone and most people wouldn't try to sell anything door to door after dark.

"If it's that infernal woman, I'll…" His mom clenched her fists, brows drawn down in rage.

"I'll get it."

George Sumner rose from the couch, circling around the furniture to open the door. Ethan ignored them, still plotting to run away to Hellsing. Mrs. Sumner craned her neck around to see who was knocking so late.

"Who are you?" Not normally a rude man, Mr. Sumner found himself glaring up at the imposing red-clad figure on his doorstep. The man smiled, reaching up to slide his orange spectacles down his nose. His eyes locked with Mr. Sumner's and the human blinked as his shoulders slumped.

"I am a friend of Ethan's. You will not be alarmed."

Ethan whirled around on the couch, eyes shining with excitement. He knew that voice!

"Alucard!"

Mrs. Sumner shoved herself up off the couch, eyes wide. She grabbed Ethan by the collar of his shirt and dragged him toward the kitchen.

"Oh, God! You're with Hellsing, aren't you? Make him leave, George!"

Her husband simply stood there, staring blankly over their visitor's shoulder.

"Ugh, gerroff, Mom! He's not going to hurt us!" Ethan twisted and slipped out of his mother's grasp, dashing toward the door.

"Ethan, no!" She reached after him, but didn't follow, too frightened of the man at the door.

"Step aside." Alucard's eyes bored into the boy's father who obeyed with alacrity. Ethan pulled up short in front of the vampire, grinning up at him.

"Have you come for _me_? I tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen."

Alucard stepped into the room, grinning with fangs bared. A scream erupted from the direction of the kitchen. Ethan whirled and his eyes flew wide. His mom stood in the doorway to the kitchen, feet planted shoulder width apart, eyes wide and an old 357 Magnum clutched in her hands. Her teeth grit as her eyebrows came down with determination. She lifted the gun, leveling it at the vampire's chest, hands trembling ever so slightly.

"No! Mom, don't!" Ethan spread his arms out, backing up to put himself in front of Alucard. She would never shoot through him to hit the vampire, but there was a _lot_ more of Alucard than him. "He won't hurt us, Mom, but if you _shoot_ him, all bets are off!"

The woman lifted the gun, but only enough so she aimed at the vampire's head instead of his torso where she risked hitting her son. That grinning, amused face infuriated her. The man smirked at her as though he didn't think she had the guts to shoot. She pulled the trigger.

Alucard shoved the boy to the side as he ducked the bullet. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the room, hand closing over the muzzle of the gun, red eyes boring down into the woman's terrified face. She shook, staring up at him with mouth falling slack. He was so close that she could feel the lapels of his duster pressing through her shirt. Amused death stared at her out of those crimson irises.

"You should listen to your son," Alucard said, slowly twisting the gun from her grasp. "Had you hit me, I would have been free to destroy you. You don't want that. Your husband doesn't want that and Ethan doesn't want to see his mother die in front of him."

Her eyes flicked to the boy pushing himself away from the back of the couch where he'd ended up when the vampire shoved him. Ethan's wide eyes watched the tableau, silently begging his mom to calm down.

"Please, mom. He _saved_ me, but if you threaten him, what do you think is going to happen?"

"You never mentioned anything about Hellsing saving you," she said, narrowing her eyes at her son. Ethan glanced at Alucard with apology in his eyes.

"I couldn't. You weren't allowed to know. Please don't ask for more."

Ethan tried to convey with the sincerity in his eyes what he hadn't been able to get through to his mom for almost a month. Hellsing was not their enemy, but they were ruthless enough to destroy his family if it became necessary. He had no doubt of that, and he couldn't find it in himself to be angry with them for it. After what he'd seen in America, he knew they had to do anything necessary to accomplish their mission. If only his mom would just _listen_!

"Look at me."

She did it without thinking. When someone told you to look at them, you just…did. Glowing crimson eyes captured her, delving into her soul and sapping her will away. She swayed, hands dropping to her sides, eyes empty and waiting.

Ethan looked from his father to his mother and slowly approached the vampire.

"Will they be okay?"

Alucard looked down at the boy, the corner of his mouth quirking with a small smile.

"We shall see."

Ethan watched the vampire capture his mother's gaze again and start giving instructions. Nothing unusual had happened tonight. Hellsing was not their enemy. Ethan was to be allowed to visit Jezebel and take classes at Hellsing in martial arts, sword work and marksmanship.

"Ethan isn't grounded anymore?" the boy said in a hopeful voice. Alucard smirked and added that to his instructions. The woman almost snapped out of the trance in that moment of distraction and Alucard had to bear down on her again. He could see, now, where Ethan got his strength of will from. He repeated everything again, but already knew it wouldn't last. He would have to pay regular visits to Mrs. Sumner.

Ethan's father wasn't nearly as challenging. The man had stood quietly beside the door for the entire incident, a mindless puppet. It didn't take a genius to see who wore the trousers in the family.

With Ethan's parents seated on the couch, staring with empty eyes at the paused movie, Alucard beckoned for the boy to come outside. They stepped out onto the front porch and the vampire reached out to run a gloved hand through Ethan's hair, seeing that the deep gouges had healed to dark pink scars in the weeks since the incident. The boy flinched a little, the skin still tender from the wound, but he didn't pull away. Alucard wondered if any of them had yet noticed that the hair around the scars was growing in silvery white at the roots.

"You told me in America that you want to learn to be strong, to survive in a world of vampires and demons. Do you still want that?"

"Yes, sir. I…I was afraid I wouldn't ever get to see you or Jezebel again."

"Are you willing to devote time, daily practice, several hours each day to it? Are you willing to suffer pain, exhaustion and deprivation for it?"

Ethan took a deep breath. His hand came up to touch the scars on the back of his neck. He closed his eyes and shivered, but then his back straightened and he looked up to meet the vampire's eyes.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Then we'll see you for class tomorrow."

"Yes, _sir_!"

Ethan's grin matched the vampire's. Alucard chuckled as the hem of his duster melted into shadows. He dissolved into the hoard of flapping bats, winging away across the rooftops. Ethan watched him go, grinning as though Christmas had come early.

**A/N: I am aware that guns are banned in the UK, but I am figuring that after the Razing of London, there might have been a few changes to such laws. For the sake of my fanfic, guns are regulated, but not completely banned anymore.**


	25. Disappointment

**Disappointment**

Once again, Jezebel couldn't seem to concentrate, but this time, her fidgeting made Mrs. Carringer smile. The girl was trying to concentrate. She really was, but every few minutes, her eyes would drift over to stare longingly at the door. The tutor thought about just letting her go, but she couldn't do that two days in a row without interrupting the lesson plan. Besides, no amount of impatience would speed up time.

"Jezebel!" The girl jumped and looked up at Mrs. Carringer, guilt written across her features. "I know you're looking forward to seeing Ethan today, but the outing is not for another fifteen minutes. I need you to _concentrate_, or I will have to cancel the next outing to get you caught up on the lesson plan."

_That_ got the girl's attention.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Carringer." She glanced over the notes she had taken and waited for the tutor to continue. With her attention riveted where it belonged, they got a surprising amount done in the remaining time. If Jezebel continued to put this much concentration into the lessons, she wouldn't have to worry about catching up, later.

"Very good," said Mrs. Carringer, closing the book she had been lecturing from. "You can put your things away and go wake Alucard."

Jezebel stuffed her books and papers into her storage cubby and Mrs. Carringer chuckled as she raced into the hallway. She only hoped nothing had been damaged in the mad rush to get out the door.

The girl fairly flew down the hall and the stairs to the basement room. She yanked the door to Alucard's room open, not thinking about the fact that a door she had struggled to open six months ago gave her no trouble, now. Several months of steady food and exercise had put a layer of flesh on her bones that she'd never had before.

Rushing across the room, she tapped on the coffin's lid. When she didn't get an immediate response, she moved to actual knocking. Grinning, she tapped out a rhythm on the wooden lid until it suddenly slid to the side and a white-gloved hand seized her wrist in a bruising grip.

"'Morning, Alu! It's time to get up. Today, I get to see Ethan again, just like you promised."

The sleepy vampire blinked, the fierce red glow in his eyes dying down to a softer light. He yawned, showcasing an impressive set of fangs and needle-sharp dentistry. Jezebel giggled.

"I have to change. See you upstairs?"

Alucard licked his lips and sat up, eyeing the ice chest across the room that held his blood packets. Taking that for the affirmative she knew it was, Jezebel raced back out of the room and upstairs to change into her play clothes.

Dressed and brimming with impatience, the girl paced in the front foyer until a yawning, black-haired girl child joined her, still sipping on a blood packet. It wouldn't do for her to break into a blood-crazed rampage at the playground, even if the Hellsing seal would keep her from actually killing anyone.

They made it to the playground fifteen minutes before noon, rather early for the Hellsings. Jezebel burst out of the car, almost before Mrs. Carringer managed to get it into park. She raced across the trimmed grass, looking for a certain head of unruly brown hair. She spotted Eric and Tabitha with the group of other kids they had started playing with on occasion. No Ethan. She whirled to look at the old swings and jungle gym where Ethan had first approached her and Alucard, disguised as Voica. Empty.

Deflating, she turned to see the vampire making her way across the playground, hat and shades hiding her expression.

"Voica!" Jezebel winced as Eric's voice rang out. He hurried across the playground as she gave her vampire a wounded, reproachful look.

"He'll be here," Alucard said, just before Eric arrived, bursting with the excitement of his first puppy crush. The vampire sighed and gave the boy a less than enthusiastic look. Eric, oblivious to it, started babbling about a soccer game his father had taken him to the previous weekend.

Tabitha caught up to her brother and, rolling her eyes, shoved him on the shoulder, knocking him off balance.

"No one cares, Eric. Go stick your head in a hole before you bore us all to death!"

"Hey! Just because _you_ don't care doesn't mean they don't. Voica loves to hear about my weekends, don't you, Voica?" The vampire gave him an arch look which washed over him like water off a duck's back. "_You_ just need to learn to appreciate the finer points of the game, Tabitha. Like when Schuster had the ball and…"

Jezebel tuned the boy out. He'd been trying to impress 'Voica' with his knowledge of soccer since he had joined the homeschool team three weeks ago. Disappointed, she scanned the playground again, not sure what she was looking for. Tabitha, at least, would have mentioned if Ethan was there and just off somewhere hiding. She missed their friend too.

But…wait. A car had just pulled into the parking lot. The back door opened and a pair of white sneakers stepped out onto the concrete. The door closed and a wide smile exploded across Jezebel's face.

"Ethan!"

She took off across the grass, barely noticing the surprised and excited voices behind her. Ethan spotted her and grinned, waving as he hopped the curb. She ploughed into him, almost knocking him off his feet as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He laughed and hugged her back.

"I missed you!" She couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"I missed you too." They stepped back and his joyful expression matched her own.

"Oh my gawd! Did _Jezebel_ just _hug Ethan_?!" Jezebel whirled to face Tabitha's accusation, although, what could she say? She had. Never mind that she never hugged any of her other friends. Eric grinned behind his sister with a sly look in his eyes, momentarily distracted from 'Voica'.

"Jezzie and Ethan, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N- OW!" Jezebel bared her teeth as she slugged him in the shoulder. He reached up to clutch the top of his arm, eyes wide.

"Serves you right," Tabitha said with a sniff. "Just because you're obsessed with Voica doesn't mean everyone else has lost their minds. Although, I have to say, Jezzie. I've never seen you hug anyone."

Jezebel shrugged, feeling a small blush of embarrassment at the public display of affection, but she had _missed_ Ethan. She had spent the last four weeks wondering if she would ever get to see her best friend again. She couldn't exactly explain to Eric and Tabitha _why_ she'd had perfectly good reason to think she'd lost him forever, so she would have to let them think she had a crush on him. So be it.

"He's my best friend and I haven't seen him in weeks, unlike _your_ boring old face." She directed that last part at Eric. Tabitha laughed and just like that, the tension broke and drained away. Eric spluttered, trying to find a comeback. Instead, he scowled at the parking lot.

"Hey, Ethan. Your mom's leaving."

"Yeah. I know." Ethan turned and waved at the retreating vehicle. "She got a part time job. I'm staying at Jezebel's in the afternoons for a while."

"Really?" Tabitha frowned. To her knowledge, none of Jezebel's friends had ever been to her house. What made Ethan so special? "Where have you _been_ for the last few weeks, anyway?"

Ethan shrugged.

"Family stuff." The tone of his voice warned them not to pry any further. Eric opened his mouth to do just that and Tabitha, taking the hint, grabbed the front of his shirt and started hauling him toward the jungle gym.

"I hear a soccer ball calling your name, Eric," she said in a loud voice, drowning out the questions he was trying to ask. That left Jezebel, Ethan and Voica standing in a tight knot separate from the other children. Ethan looked at Voica and scowled. He hadn't thought about it, before, but taking martial arts and then visiting with Jezebel before the abduction and for most of a day afterward, he had spent a considerable amount of time at Hellsing and never seen the dark haired girl child. They had all assumed Voica lived with Jezebel since they always came to outings together. And wasn't Voica related to… Ethan's eyes narrowed at the girl.

"Alucard?"

A wild…_fanged_…grin spread across the small vampire's face. She reached up and patted Ethan on the top of his head…toward the uninjured side.

"Very good, boy. Very good indeed."

That was _not_ the voice of the girl child he'd played with, but a deeper one that he knew quite well. Ethan grinned, basking in the praise and beaming with pride at his accurate guess. Jezebel grinned at the both of them.

"Yep. Definitely keeping you."

V^^^V

After two hours of hard play and a light lunch, they returned to Hellsing with Jezebel wedged between her best friend and her vampire. She sighed happily, the hollow feeling that had lurked in her gut for the last month finally gone.

They pulled up in the front drive. Ethan piled out of the car first, followed by Jezebel. The far passenger door opened and a six foot six, red-clad vampire rose to his full height. Mrs. Carringer shuddered at the blatant display of power. It had most definitely been three _children_ in the back seat as she drove them home.

"Ethan, Jezebel has more lessons," Alucard said. "You'll come with me for the afternoon. We'll assess where your aptitudes lay."

Jezebel gave the vampire a mournful look but she didn't argue. She'd been warned she would still have to complete her lessons for the day. Ethan's eyes widened but he didn't hesitate to follow as Alucard led the way across the lawn toward a part of the Hellsing estate that he'd never seen.

A line of tall evergreens blocked the view from the road and the front drive. The way the path wended around a particularly thick knot of vegetation made Ethan think the evergreens had probably been put there with a mind to hiding what was on the other side.

They strolled around the end of a stone wall and came out in an open area that had to have been twice the size of the rest of the estate. Low buildings stood off to the left, one of them easily the size of the community center where he'd taken swimming lessons when he was younger. To the right, several cleared areas, marked off by lines of bushes and lit by overhead lights waited for whatever their intended purpose was. Several yards in front of them stood a sort of jungle gym…with barbed wire and not a slide in sight.

A hundred questions popped into Ethan's head as he looked around. In the far distance, he spotted what looked like a parking lot with a…was that a _helicopter_?

"Wow," he breathed, hazel eyes about to pop out of his head.

"Don't worry. You'll become familiar with everything out here, eventually. Probably more than you'd like." The vampire grinned down at the awed look on the boy's face. "First, we test if you have any aptitude for marksmanship." Alucard led the way toward the largest of the buildings. Ethan scrambled to keep up with him.

Inside, they passed down several corridors until they reached a heavy metal door. The vampire pulled it open and shooed the boy inside.

It appeared to be a locker room…but such small lockers. Alucard retrieved what appeared to be a set of wireless headphones form a peg on the wall and tossed them to Ethan. He caught them as the vampire crossed the room to a cabinet. Pulling it open, he revealed a small collection of…guns. Below them, shelves held stacks and stacks of boxes. The boy's eyes grew wide.

"Do I get to…"

Alucard turned and quirked a smile at him.

"For today, yes."

He retrieved a pistol with a narrow barrel and a box of bullets from the cabinet. Pocketing the box, he led the way to another door on the other side of the room. Ethan hurried to catch up with him.

They came out into a sort of corridor with what appeared to be stalls or booths along the left-hand side. Passing one, Ethan saw that the stalls opened into a cavernous room with a concrete floor and walls. Paper targets lined the distant far end of the long room. He'd seen something like it in a movie once.

"Firing range?"

Alucard nodded as he stopped in front of one of the stalls. Pulling the box of bullets out, he set it on a small shelf inside the stall and turned to the boy.

"Come here."

Ethan took a deep breath and stepped up to the vampire, a grin stretching across his face. Although they had a gun in their home, his parents had never taught him anything about it aside from the fact that he was NOT to touch it, under _any_ circumstance. Ever.

"That one looks different from my dad's."

"This is a Ruger Mark III 22. It's a target pistol and shouldn't hurt your wrist too much. We're just testing your aim."

The vampire pressed a button on the gun, popping the clip out. Opening the box, he loaded ten bullets into the metal case and slid it back home.

"Stand here." Alucard indicated a spot just behind the shooting line and Ethan hurried to take his place. The vampire chambered a round and took up a position behind the boy.

"This is the safety. It is currently on. You will take it off just before you fire, like this." Alucard demonstrated, flipping the safety off and then on again. "You will hold it like this, with both hands." He leaned over Ethan, holding the gun in front of the boy's face in a two-handed grip, one arm on either side of his head. "Do you understand?"

"I…I think so."

Alucard handed him the gun, watching the boy closely as he worked to approximate the vampire's grip. He made a couple of small adjustments to the position of the boy's hands and then showed Ethan how to extend the gun and sight along the barrel.

"You will line this bracket up with the front sight, here. When you have them aligned so they look like one piece, you are on target."

"Okay."

Ethan shifted a little, moving the gun until it seemed like the sights lined up…except they kept wavering and he had to continually make minute adjustments to get them back into place. Alucard watched him struggle, a frown beginning to grace his brow. The vampire reached out and placed his hands over Ethan's. The sights firmed up. The vampire released him and the sights wavered again. Scowling at those shaky hands, Alucard retrieved the headphones and put them over Ethan's ears.

"Pull the trigger." The command was muted by the ear protection, but the boy heard it. He narrowed his eyes and pulled back on the trigger, bracing for the recoil that he'd heard about but never experienced. The headphones muffled the loud 'crack' of the firing gun and his palm tingled from the kick, but he couldn't really say it hurt.

"Again," Alucard said, narrowing his eyes at the black and white target. Ethan went through all ten rounds and never could seem to get the sights lined up right. The vampire took the gun from him and strode down the firing hall to retrieve the paper target. The boy pulled the ear protectors off as Alucard returned. He hadn't hit anything near the inner four rings.

"I'm sorry, sir."

Alucard didn't answer, examining the paper. He rolled it up and gave Ethan a considering look. The boy's shoulders slumped, convinced he had just proven himself incapable of learning what Alucard had intended to teach him.

"Hold your hands up."

Ethan did as he was told, closing his fingers into fists. Did the vampire intend to fight him?

"Open your hands." Alucard watched the boy's fingers uncurl. A fine tremble started up in those small hands. "Are you nervous?"

Ethan looked at his trembling hands and frowned.

"I don't know. Maybe?"

"Do your hands normally shake?"

"Yeah. My handwriting gets shaky sometimes too."

Alucard nodded, his look softening from a fierce scowl into something more thoughtful. Ethan sighed and glared at his traitorous hands. He bared his teeth as a surge of anger and determination washed through him.

"I'll do whatever it takes," he said in a growl. "I'll practice _every_ day!"

The vampire smiled down at the boy and ruffled his hair.

"You do not have to shoot to kill vampires. We will move on."

Ethan did his best to squelch his disappointment as they left the gun range. The scene of Alucard rescuing them in the semi-trailer, guns roaring, ran through his head. He certainly couldn't dissolve into shadows or a hoard of bats, like the vampire. How else was he supposed to fight? He couldn't begin to imagine.

**A/N: Poor Ethan. Can't hit the broad side of a barn. *evil grin* I couldn't make him too perfect, could I? Actually, my husband's hands shake like that. It's funny watching him play Magic the Gathering because his hands will shake as he's putting cards down and his opponent will think he's really nervous when in fact, he's fine. Makes for a great psych out. *wink***


	26. Forging a Weapon

**A/N: I got a review on the last chapter that said I seemed to know a lot about guns. First of all, thank you very much for the comment. Second of all, I actually know very little about guns. I have had one lesson in hand guns from my uncle, who knows a lot about guns. That is the only time I've even handled a gun. I actually asked for that lesson at Christmas specifically because I've been writing Hellsing fanfic. It helps to make things sound good if I do my research. The rest of the information on the gun stuff in the last chapter I got from researching through Google. I do a LOT of research for my writing. To me, that's part of what makes a story good, when a writer puts in so much research, the story takes on a sort of realism, like somewhere, somehow, it could happen. I strive to put that into my writing. I only hope that I succeed at least some of the time. *smile***

**Forging a Weapon**

Ethan gasped and panted, pressing an arm into the stitch in his side as he stumbled around the outside edge of a clearing the size of a soccer field. He felt like he could collapse at any moment, but he stubbornly put one foot in front of the other. Alucard had said five laps and he _would_ complete those five laps.

The vampire in question stood on the other side of the field, watching the human boy struggle around the edge. He had assessed strength, flexibility and now they were on stamina. Ethan had come out positively mediocre in all of it. Not surprising, really. In most areas, he was a very typical eleven, almost twelve year old boy. What made him stand out from all those children on the playground was the single minded determination with which he tackled each task Alucard set him. Was it fear that drove him or something more ephemeral and harder to define? Fear alone would not get him through what it would take to achieve his goals, especially with what Alucard had in mind for him.

Ethan dragged in to a gasping stop in front of the vampire, dropping to hands and knees on the ground. His legs ached and he could feel his galloping heartbeat pulsing thought his entire body. Was it really normal to feel a pulse in the bottom of your _feet_?! His lungs ached as he dragged in breath after breath, desperately trying to supply his body with the oxygen it needed. Alucard knelt beside him, holding out a bottle of water.

Ethan grabbed for it, sitting back on his heels to twist the cap off and guzzle the cool liquid. He coughed, took in a deep, gasping breath and took another, slower sip. Alucard had to hand it to the kid. He really threw himself into an assignment.

"How did I do?" the boy asked. Alucard shrugged.

"As well as can be expected."

Ethan drooped. He'd been getting that answer all afternoon and he wondered if it meant he didn't have a hope of being anything like Alucard. No one could accuse the vampire of being simply mediocre.

Nodding acceptance, the boy pushed himself to his feet and looked up at Alucard.

"What's next?"

Alucard grinned, nodding his approval at the child's persistence.

"Dexterity and agility." He looked over at the obstacle course and Ethan grinned. He'd been curious about that since he saw it. His heart rate quickly slowed to a normal rate. Alucard cocked his head, listening. The boy might not be in top shape for his age, but he wasn't truly out of shape, either. He had potential.

Alucard led the way across the Hellsing training grounds to the adult-sized playground. Ethan trotted after him, a grin spread across his face. The vampire allowed the boy a little more rest while he explained each obstacle he expected him to complete and how to do it. Some things they skipped because Ethan simply wasn't tall enough, yet. However, there weren't many of those. The boy stared mournfully at a six foot wooden wall, wondering how he could possibly scale it. It never occurred to him to refuse to try.

Starting back at the beginning, Ethan eyed the narrow, pitched board that led to twenty feet of balance beam. He looked at Alucard, waiting for his cue to start.

"Begin."

He raced up the ninety degree pitch of the first board, hitting the cross braces with precision. Alucard paced his progress across the balance beam and then the six foot hop to the ground below. He failed the rope climb entirely, his arms giving out halfway up. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he tackled the Jacob's ladder, leaping from rung to rung with the agility of a mountain goat and only wobbling a bit on the way down.

Next, he cleared several small hurdles and faced the six foot wall of doom. Scowling at the obstacle, he jumped into a sprint. Jamming a foot onto the wall, he used his momentum and the friction of his shoes to shove himself high enough to hook his arms over the top of the wall. Gritting his teeth, he swung his body side to side until he could hook an ankle over the top. From there, it was just a matter of hauling himself up and rolling over the top to land on the other side.

Grinning at his accomplishment, he sprinted to the rope ladder and swarmed up that like there was no rope involved. He paused on the platform at the top, huffing and puffing. He had no time limit, but he desperately wanted to impress Alucard with _something_.

The moment his heart stopped pounding in his ears, he gripped the handle of the zip line that led to the ground sixteen feet below. He took a little hop, throwing his weight onto the line…and his hands promptly released the handle, jarred by the sudden weight coming to bear on his grip. He screeched as he fell, knowing he was going to hit the ground flat on his back.

Long, hard arms snatched him out of the air. The breath whooshed from his lungs as he blinked up at Alucard in surprise.

"Cockiness will destroy you," the vampire said, setting him down. Ethan blushed with shame. Alucard shook his head and grinned. "Go. You're not done."

Surprised the vampire hadn't berated him more than that, Ethan nodded and headed for the next obstacle. He swarmed up and down the twenty foot tall standing net, pausing at the top to look around at the view. By the time he finished with the pole dodge, Alucard had regained his grin. Ethan bent over, hands on knees, working at catching his breath.

"Good," said Alucard. "Strength, flexibility and stamina can all be improved with effort. Basic balance and agility are more difficult. You've done well."

The vampire handed the grinning boy the remains of the water.

"Do you really think so?" Ethan asked, unscrewing the cap.

"Yes. You have a _lot_ of work ahead of you, but you are not hopeless."

Ethan beamed as he upended the contents of the bottle down his throat. Alucard watched him, thinking back to the pouts and fits he'd gotten while training the police girl. He expected to get similar from the boy, eventually, but perhaps…perhaps.

"So, what now?"

"Now, you get a physical."

V^^^V

Dr. Pelham made a note on the chart displayed on his tablet. He smiled at the boy sitting on the exam table in nothing but a pair of shorts.

"No heart or lung abnormalities. Vision is 20/20, hearing within normal range. Once I run the blood work, we'll know if you check out the rest of the way."

Alucard lounged in a chair against the wall, legs crossed at the knee as he watched the proceedings. With the sun sunk below the horizon, he had left the hat and spectacles off. His shaggy, fly away black hair drifted as though in a non-existent breeze.

"Check his hands," he said, peering out between the locks of hair. "They shake. Why?"

Ethan bit his lip at the reminder of his failure at the shooting range. Dr. Pelham glanced at the vampire and then set the tablet aside to reach for the boy's hands. He examined them but couldn't find anything wrong.

"Hold them up." Ethan obeyed and just like before, as soon as they weren't supported by something solid, they began to tremble ever so slightly. Dr. Pelham pressed his own hand against one and it grew steadier, but as soon as he pulled away, it trembled again.

"I'll have to add a test to the blood work and I'd like to get an MRI to be certain, but…does your mother or father have a similar problem, Ethan? Anyone in your family?"

"Dad. Sometimes, he drops his fork at dinner. I guess I hadn't really thought about it before."

Dr. Pelham nodded.

"Again, I'll need the tests to rule out other possibilities, but most likely, he has an essential tremor." He shrugged at the vampire. "They're not uncommon. It's a dominant genetic trait. There's nothing actually _wrong_ with him. His hands just shake. Although, I have to say, it doesn't usually show up until early to mid twenties."

"So, he won't grow out of it?"

"Doubtful. These things usually get worse with time."

Ethan's shoulders drooped.

"I'll never be able to shoot a gun, will I?"

Dr. Pelham smiled.

"Oh, you'll be able to _shoot_ one. It doesn't take much to pull a trigger. Unfortunately, you'll probably never be much of a marksman."

"At least, not without a lot of work that would be better spent developing skills that better match your aptitudes," Alucard said. Ethan looked up, expecting to find disgusted disappointment on the vampire's face, but the black-haired monster only looked thoughtful. Calculating.

"Shall we draw that blood, now?" Dr. Pelham rose to fetch a tray with vials and long rubber strips. He took Ethan's arm and wrapped one of the bands around his upper arm while he swabbed the bend of his elbow with an alcohol pad. Ethan watched the procedure and shuddered, remembering Barston doing that to Jezebel.

The doctor retrieved his needle and deftly inserted it, clicking a small vial into the plastic receptacle attached to the needle. His movements were sure and unhurried. Ethan watched the vial as dark red blood flowed into it. Alucard shifted, his nostrils flaring as he watched. His eyes glowed ever so slightly, but he didn't make a move toward them.

Dr. Pelham collected five vials and reached for a piece of cotton to press over the needle while he removed it. Alucard stopped him, moving closer to reach out and press a thumb over the entry point. The doctor frowned at him but didn't say a word as he pulled the needle out.

Alucard ducked down to swipe a cold tongue over the bend of the boy's elbow, licking up the trickle of blood and sealing the tiny hole. Ethan didn't move or protest. This was nothing compared to when Alucard sealed his head wound. The vampire licked the drop of blood from his glove and Dr. Pelham shivered as he turned to store the vials away until he could send them to the lab.

"He's done. I'll get the blood work results to Integra as soon as they come in. And I want to schedule an MRI."

"Do it on a Thursday afternoon," Alucard said. "He'll be here. Get dressed, boy."

Ethan nodded and hopped down off the table to slip his shirt, socks and shoes back on. By the time he finished, Dr. Pelham had left the room to prepare the blood samples for the lab. Ethan looked expectantly at Alucard.

"One last thing, I think," Alucard said as though coming to a decision that he had been debating over. Ethan cocked his head curiously. The vampire seemed…secretive. Furtive. Were they about to do something they shouldn't?

Struggling to wrap his mind around the idea that an adult might be restricted from doing anything, Ethan followed the vampire out the door. They crossed the grounds to the main house. Alucard led him inside, to a stairwell that descended into a dimly lit, stone-walled corridor. The boy eyed the dark walls, deciding this must be a basement. Every horror movie he'd ever seen popped into his head, but he felt safe so long as Alucard was with him. He laughed under his breath at the complete irony in that thought. After all, the vampire _was_ the monster in the dark. Better to be friends with the monster?

Alucard opened the door to a large, echoing chamber. Shadows covered most of the room, the only light being a rectangle of illumination from the open door. The vampire glided inside. A match flared and then settled into the steady glow of an oil lamp. Ethan looked around, spotting a twin bed off to the side, several tables, a throne-like chair…and a coffin. He blinked at the coffin, trying to decide if it should frighten him. Obviously, it belonged to Alucard, so…no. The vampire sat in the chair and steepled his fingers in front of him, a devilish grin revealing his sharp fangs. Yes. He was definitely up to something he probably shouldn't be. Ethan returned that grin with one of his own.

"You wish to become a weapon that may be wielded against the monsters of this world."

It was really a rhetorical statement, but Ethan nodded to emphasize his agreement.

"A weapon does not make its own choices. It does not choose its target. It moves only at the behest of its master. A weapon without a master is a menace, a thing to be destroyed."

Ethan scowled, looking at the stone floor.

"Who's your master? Wait…it's Sir Integra, isn't it?"

"Very good. And one day, it will be Jezebel. I am the weapon of Hellsing, and if you set yourself down this path, so too will you be. Once begun, you cannot turn back."

Ethan took a deep breath, really thinking about it, searching his heart for any trace of doubt. Nothing. He _wanted_ this. In a way, he always had. Dreams of being a policeman, firefighter, superhero, had haunted him since he could remember.

Lifting his chin, he met Alucard's glowing red eyes with his own and held the intense gaze. The vampire grinned and reached for his right sleeve, unbuttoning the cuffs of his sleeves and pushing them back to bare a pale, muscled forearm. He lifted his wrist to that fanged mouth and bit down, a line of crimson running down the slender arm.

Ethan felt his eyes grow wide as the vampire held out a bleeding wrist.

"Will that make me a…"

"No. I cannot grant eternity to a male. You will be human, but not. Mortal, and yet not."

Swallowing hard, the boy hesitantly closed the distance between them. He eyed the blood as it dripped sluggishly from the already healing wound.

"I need to…?"

"Drink."

Ethan took a deep breath, feeling his stomach lurch at the thought of drinking that viscous liquid. It was one thing for Alucard to suck blood, but he hadn't thought about doing it himself. This was not like licking a small scratch.

Licking suddenly dry lips, the boy reached out to touch the vampire's arm, steadying himself as he lowered his lips to the wound. He licked over the cool flesh and fought back the urge to gag as he swallowed the tongue-full of blood. It tasted like copper and dirt with a hint of bitterness that lingered in the back of his throat. He made a face, but went back for a second swipe. He caught a trickle of blood, but found the flesh whole and unblemished underneath.

"You've taken too long," Alucard said, pulling his wrist back. Lifting it to his mouth, he pierced the flesh again and presented it to the boy with a wider, deeper wound.

Squelching his distaste, Ethan pressed his lips to the wound and sucked down a great draught. It burned going down, bringing tears to his eyes and his throat rebelled at passing the liquid from his mouth to his stomach. He pulled back to swallow several times before leaning in for a second draught. It seemed awfully rude to vomit the blood back up, but he had to admit he was sorely tempted to do just that. Instead, he drank down as much as he could before the gash closed.

Alucard shook his arm, letting the sleeves settle back into place, the cuffs hanging limp and unbuttoned. Ethan blinked and swayed, swallowing convulsively as he fought to keep the blood down. The vampire watched him closely as though waiting for something…and then the boy doubled over as a sharp pain seared through his belly. Alucard scooped him up, carrying him to the small bed as he cried out, sharp cramps ripping through his body. He writhed in the vampire's arms and Alucard set him down, pressing a gloved hand into his shoulder to keep him from thrashing off of the bed.

Ethan alternated between curling into a fetal position and stretching out, back arched in agony. He gasped and whimpered, making small, intense pain noises interspersed with the occasional short scream. Alucard watched him thrash and writhe, indifferent to the sound of pain. Finally, the child shuddered and relaxed, panting on the bed. His muscles spasmed and twitched, but the worst of the cramps had passed.

"That…sucked," he gasped out, voice raw from the screams. Alucard chuckled.

"The first time is the worst."

"First…time?" Ethan rolled over to give the vampire a horrified look. The diabolical creature just grinned at him, flashing fangs.

"Remember. You chose this. Once begun, you cannot turn back."

The boy closed his eyes and sighed, shuddering.

"How often?"

"Thursdays. After practice and assessment."

Ethan's head flopped to the side, too tired to even be horrified. He _had_ agreed. He'd said at any cost. One way or another, he'd make it through.

"Good." Alucard smiled, seeing the resolve cross the boy's features. He wouldn't have started this if he thought Ethan wasn't totally dedicated to the course of action, but the boy had demonstrated the sheer determination and intensity that would allow him to make it through. Only time would tell just how powerful of a weapon he would become…or even if he would be allowed to continue to exist…but he had taken the first few steps down that road. There really was no turning back.

**A/N: And, it begins. I got another review on the last chapter that mentioned that Ethan is really going with the flow on this, perhaps more than makes sense. I can see that, but at the same time, Ethan is a very level headed kid, but with enough childish naivete to not question the impossible as much as an adult does. He's really at the perfect age for Alucard to start molding him, so long as he wishes to be molded. Chalk it up to his hero complex…and yes, he has one. Luckily for him, he's run across the right people to give him the tools to act the hero like he wants to. *grin***


	27. Alucard in Trouble

**Alucard in Trouble**

Mr. Clarke grunted as Ethan landed a kick to his solar plexus that made him stumble back and sent stars careening through his vision. He rarely got a hit that hard from the adult Hellsing soldiers that he taught. Since the boy had started lessons again three weeks ago, he had grown exponentially stronger each week. The teacher scowled, rubbing his chest.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Clarke. Did I not get it right?"

"No. You did perfectly. Alucard!" The vampire looked up at the instructor and Jezebel paused in her practice. Alucard no longer wore the tinted glasses he had used, before. After all, everyone in the room knew exactly what he was. "Come play target dummy for Ethan."

Rising gracefully to his feet, the vampire glided over the mats to stand in front of the boy. Ethan gave him a puzzled look. Mr. Clarke had never changed out partners like this. Grinning with fangs bared, Alucard dropped to his knees in front of the boy and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Kick him, with the same strength and form that you just used on me," Mr. Clarke said. Ethan scowled, glancing back and forth between the vampire and the instructor. Alucard's grin widened.

"You have permission, in this instance." Reassured by the vampire's rumbling voice, Ethan took up his stance. Narrowing his eyes on the vampire's solar plexus, he whirled in a turn kick that landed his heel solidly in Alucard's chest. The vampire rocked back onto his heels from the force of the blow, putting a hand out on the ground to arrest his momentum and steady himself. Jezebel gaped at her best friend, jaw dropping open in shock.

"Very good, boy. Your reflexes are improving." Ethan beamed but Mr. Clarke didn't look nearly as pleased.

"Alucard, I need to speak with you."

The vampire rose as Mr. Clarke instructed the children to practice Chon-Ji until they got back. Alucard smirked as he followed the human to the corner of the room. The man rounded on him, scowling.

"You know something. That boy is preternaturally strong for an eleven year old child. He did not have that strength before the kidnapping. Hell, he didn't have _that_ level of strength when he started classes again three weeks ago." The instructor glared at Alucard. "What have you done to him?"

The vampire grinned, a knowing, sly look on his face.

"Nothing he did not ask me to. Although, it might be best if I act as his target until I have schooled him on better control of his new strength."

"That is _not_ an answer!"

Alucard simply lifted an eyebrow, still grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat. The human grit his teeth, fists clenching at the infuriating creature. _How_ did Sir Integra manage the beast? He was only glad it was her and not himself in such a position.

"I will be reporting this to Sir Integra."

"I had no doubt you would."

Giving the vampire one last glare, Mr. Clarke returned to the practicing children. Alucard stood back for a moment, watching the two of them. Ethan's movements had become more precise and more powerful in just a few weeks. He moved through the form with brow furrowed in concentration. He probably didn't even realize how clean and exact his motions were. Well, that would change. It was time to move to the next stage of his training. He needed to be fully aware of his new capabilities and those that would come.

Grinning, the vampire glided toward the mats, falling to his knees at Mr. Clarke's command so the children could pummel him some more. Every time he felt a blow from Ethan, his grin grew just a touch wider.

V^^^V

"I don't understand." Jezebel stared at the chess board Alucard had brought out. He'd started teaching her how to play the game, and though she couldn't beat him yet, she was coming closer with each game. "Ethan is only a year older than me. How come _he_ can hit you hard enough to make you move and I can't?" She moved her knight to put his queen in check.

"Ethan has taken his first steps toward becoming a weapon in the Hellsing arsenal. As a weapon, he must be capable of feats his wielder is not." Alucard moved his queen to take Jezebel's bishop, which she'd been hoping to use to put his king in checkmate. "He will be a weapon, but you…you will be the master, the wielder that directs his power. Your strengths will lie in a different area. Are you jealous of him?"

"Maybe a little, but when you say it that way…well…but I want to be strong too!" She glared at the chessboard, sorting through the myriad uncomfortable emotions roiling within her.

"You are strong, little master. Strength comes in various different forms." Alucard shook his head as Jezebel moved her knight closer to his king. "The strength to wield a weapon with wisdom and finesse is different from the strength to _be_ the weapon. Ethan wishes to become a weapon in your arsenal, to move to your command. Would you deny him that?"

"No! Of course not!" Jezebel scowled at the chess board, a finger still on her knight, trying to decide if she'd made the right move. Unfortunately, she suspected she had fallen into a trap that she couldn't extract herself from, now. Sighing, she took her finger off the knight. "You put your queen out there on purpose, so I'd overstretch with my knight, didn't you?"

Alucard grinned and moved his queen. "Checkmate."

Jezebel sighed and knocked her king over, conceding defeat.

"What if…what if I'm not a good wielder? I don't feel very wise or…finesse-y. What if I can't even be strong in my own area?"

"All things in time. I think doubt does not become you, little master."

Jezebel frowned and then took a deep breath as she started clearing off the chess board and setting it up for a new game. She didn't doubt often, but she knew that Alucard and Integra both expected a lot from her. She wasn't always certain she could deliver and the worst possible thing she could imagine happening to her was to lose the respect of the two people she loved most in the world…and now, Ethan would be added to that list. She couldn't let them down. She simply couldn't.

With the chessboard set up, she reached out and moved her first pawn, determined to not fall into a trap this time. Alucard smiled and reached for his knight. He paused as he touched it, head cocked to the side. His eyes shifted to the ceiling and his smile spread into a grin.

"My master calls. I will have to leave this game for later."

Rising, the vampire crouched and then leaped, phasing up through the ceiling into the rooms above. Jezebel barely noticed, reaching out to move his knight as she played the game against herself.

V^^^V

"What have you done, Alucard?"

Integra's voice resonated through her office as soon as he phased up through the floor. The vampire grinned, stalking toward her desk to brace himself against its edge, peering at his master over the rim of his spectacles.

"I have done many things, my master."

"To Ethan." She glared up at him as she inhaled a lungful of fragrant smoke from her cigar. She blew the noxious fumes in his face, her one brilliant blue eye narrowing in anger. "Mr. Clarke told me what happened during practice today. I demand an answer. What have you done to Ethan?"

"I have started him down the same path that Walter walked, once upon a time."

"WHAT?!" Integra slammed a fist into her desk, standing as she did so. She jammed the cherry of her cigar into the ashtray on her desk and leaned on the wooden surface so that she glared at her servant, eye to eye, noses only a couple of inches apart. "Say it again, Alucard, and I damn well better have been mistaken the first time I heard it."

"I doubt you were mistaken. I have begun the process of molding Ethan into a weapon for Hellsing, another trash man to add to your arsenal."

"How DARE you!" Integra slammed a fist into the wooden surface under her hands, lips pulled back in a snarl. "Did you learn nothing at the Razing of London?! Walter _betrayed_ us and you want to create another one? One that can turn on Jezebel as well? I did _not_ give you permission to do this!"

Alucard smirked and chuckled. Integra's fists tightened against the desk, her teeth clenched and bared.

"It was his choice," the vampire said, pushing himself into his full, upright stance. He reached up to remove the tinted glasses from his nose so he could meet his master's glare. "He is not Walter. Walter was flawed, from the beginning. Too arrogant, too cocky. He lusted after power he had not the wisdom nor self control to command."

"And yet, from what you're telling me, you made him what he became."

"At your father's command." Alucard sighed and a touch of regret crossed his features. "You've never bothered to ask me why your father sealed me away for twenty years. Has the question never once crossed your mind?"

Integra scowled, her eye flicking to the side. What did that have to do with anything?

"You were an easy answer. Too easy…like a drug to become addicted to."

Alucard threw his head back and laughed. His crazed chortle echoed around the room as Integra glared at him.

"A noble answer, if I've ever heard one, but foolish. Does one truly put away one's most powerful weapon just because it _is_ so powerful…especially after using it for near on three decades? No. Your father feared me, feared what I could do. I created Walter at his behest, took a simple human and molded him into a weapon…never mind that he did not have the disposition to handle it. Like a fledgling crazed with bloodlust, he wanted power and could not see the ultimate goal beyond his own, personal quest. After the second world war, Arthur kept me around, just in case Walter should turn against Hellsing, but the man seemed to have mellowed. Too bad we did not realize he had already turned against us." Alucard sighed and his eyes dropped to the top of the desk where his master's fists clenched, knuckles white with anger. "When Walter neared his fortieth birthday, Arthur decided he had proven himself and sealed me away, his trust in the human complete. Even I was fooled. He played a longer game than either of us realized."

Integra sat back in her chair. She didn't like discussing Walter on the best of days. Add to that Alucard's insinuation that her father had been a fool on top of what he'd done to Ethan and he wasn't digging himself out of his hole any time soon. A cold, angry look took over her face.

"You're not exactly convincing me that what you're doing with Ethan is any different than what you did to Walter, except that this time, it is _your_ idea, not your master's."

Alucard cocked his head to the side, a smile sliding across his features.

"Ethan chose this. Arthur picked Walter from an orphanage, chose him for his ferocity, and ordered me to make him into a human to be reckoned with. Ethan has chosen this for himself, just as Seras chose to walk the night rather than die. He seeks power to protect himself and Jezebel. Walter sought power simply for the sake of being powerful."

"Ethan is too young to choose anything," Integra said, scowling.

"He is not that much younger than you were when you inherited Hellsing and myself. Maturity is not a matter of age, but of experience and self awareness. No one could accurately call you immature at his age, Integra. Do not judge him simply by the number of years he can claim. He grew up more in the days he spent at the mercy of the Vatican than most people do in their entire lives."

"Why are you so hell bent on doing this?" Integra's scowl had softened into a truly puzzled look. Alucard turned and strode toward the window, staring out onto the night-darkened Hellsing grounds.

"Because he has earned it. He knows fear, but faces it with courage. He knows the essence of defeat, but persists in spite of overwhelming odds. He knows compassion. He will not be the monster that Walter became…that I am. If he does become that, I will destroy him, myself." Alucard looked back over his shoulder at his master and she frowned. She'd never heard him talk like this before. "What has been started cannot be undone. I can only move forward in his training, mold him into what Walter _should_ have been…a knight to guard Jezebel's back as she moves her pawns across the chess board of England."

Integra looked down at her desk, one hand tapping out a random tattoo on the wooden surface. She did not like that he had not approached her first…but he hadn't approached her about creating a fledgling either, and Seras had turned out to be such an asset. He'd proven more than once that his judgment could be trusted, in spite of his own claims to be a monster. She shifted her gaze to glare up at him.

"You will watch him like a hawk, and if he ever even hints at betraying Jezebel, you will destroy him, and it will be _you_ who explains to her why her best friend had to die."

Alucard turned and, crossing a hand over his chest, he bowed low.

"As you command, my master."

**A/N: Just an interesting observation that I discovered during the writing of this chapter. Arthur had to have been incredibly virile. Either that or Hirano didn't run his numbers. I know that men can be fertile pretty much indefinitely, only declining in fertility as they get older, but assuming that the events in The Dawn took place at the very end of World War II, in 1945 and Arthur was twenty years old, then…(I think he looked older, but I'm giving the numbers the benefit of the doubt here)…then he was 55 years old when he fathered Integra, at the youngest, and could have been as old as 65 or more. That begs the question, what took him so dang long to father an heir, and considering his cavorting about with women in his youth (See The Dawn. It says in there that he was a lady's man.) just how many Hellsing lines did he spawn without realizing it? You people get three guesses as to where Jezebel's blood line came from and the first two don't count! *wink***


	28. What's in a Birthday?

**A/N: Okay, so I don't know what happened, the first time I tried putting this up, it didn't show. Here's to trying again. :)**

**What's in a Birthday?**

Ethan had a bag slung over his shoulder that Jezebel had never seen before. It looked curiously flat, like a soft briefcase on straps.

"What's that?" she asked as she flopped down next to him on the ground. He looked up with a smile.

"Oh, good. You're here. I can leave it with Mrs. Carringer, now. It's a messenger bag."

"What's in it?"

"Oh…invitations. I'll hand them out when everyone sits down for lunch. My birthday is in two weeks and mom said I could invite some friends to the party."

"Really?" Jezebel's eyes lit up. She'd never been to Ethan's house before, even though he came to hers almost every day. He nodded, grinning as he got up. Alucard sat down next to Jezebel in his little girl guise and she leaned against him as Ethan raced across the playground to Mrs. Carringer.

"Alu, what's so special about a birthday?"

The vampire glanced over at her and shrugged.

"It's a human tradition. They celebrate the anniversary of their birth."

Jezebel picked at the grass next to her thigh, frowning in thought.

"I don't know when I was born. Does that mean I don't have a birthday?"

Alucard laughed, his high-pitched girl child voice ringing out with amusement.

"Of course you have a birthday. You must, or you would not be alive. You just don't know what it is."

"What about you? What's your birthday?"

"It's hard to say." The child vampire gazed across the playground, his mind drifting back to a time utterly foreign to the current day. "They didn't always record the day of birth, then. It was considered unlucky. Many children died before it could matter that they ever lived. They often did not even receive a name until they had breathed for a full seven days. I know that I was born toward the end of the year. Some historians have recorded the date as November thirteenth by today's calendar. I suppose that is as good a day as any."

Jezebel shifted so her shoulder leaned against him rather than her back. She cocked her head at him and those red eyes flicked over to her from behind the protective lenses he wore.

"Don't you care about your birthday?"

"Not particularly. No. There are enough people that have cursed the day I was born that it seems a disservice to them for anyone to celebrate it." Coming from anyone else, that statement might seem depressing, but the proud, arrogant smirk on the vampire's face belied that. He took pride in the terror he struck into his victim's hearts. Jezebel grinned, hoping she could strike fear in the hearts of her enemies some day, too.

Ethan returned from delivering the bag to Mrs. Carringer and grinned.

"Swings or jungle gym?"

"Swings. And you have to push!"

V^^^V

Jezebel pawed through the picnic basket that Matheson had sent for her and Ethan, looking for the packets of mayonnaise that always fell to the bottom. Ethan had collected his bag from Mrs. Carringer and flipped it open to pull out a small stack of envelopes. Eric and Tabitha watched him with curious eyes.

"Who all are you inviting?" Eric asked, peering over his shoulder.

"You guys, Jezzie, Voica, and I was thinking about giving one to Dylan and Finley. I can't invite too many."

"You should give one to Lexi if you're going to invite Finley," Tabitha said, pulling a sandwich out of her lunch bag. "She and Finley are friends."

Ethan nodded and eyed the envelopes in his hand.

"That leaves two. Maybe Chloe and Callum?"

"Ugh. Not Chloe," Tabitha said, shaking her head. "Callum's okay, but Chloe's a snitch."

"I can't invite one and not the other, Tabby. They're brother and sister."

"Then invite Daniel and Logan. They're cool."

"You just want to be one of the only girls so you can hog the attention," Eric said, sticking his tongue out at his sister.

"Do not!"

Jezebel spread mayonnaise on her bread as the siblings broke out in a small squabble. They'd been doing that a lot, lately. She had learned that taking sides wasn't a good idea, even if one of them tried to get her to do so. She just ignored them as she layered slices of turkey and cheddar on her sandwich.

"Hey, Voica! What's your birthday?"

Alucard looked up from where he was fiddling with a bag of apple slices, breaking pieces off and bringing them to his mouth where he dropped them down his sleeve and they conveniently disappeared. Every Thursday, he put on this act to make it appear that he ate alongside the other children. Eric watched him with a wide smile, eyes waiting for an answer. The boy had backed down on his pursuit of the crush he had on the vampire, but he still tried to suck Alucard into conversation at random times. Ethan had started helping to try to steer Eric away from his interest, once he knew that what appeared to be a cute preteen girl was, in fact, a rather ferocious, _male_ vampire.

The vampire glanced at Jezebel and grinned, carefully keeping his fangs hidden.

"November thirteenth."

"What about you, Jezzie?" Tabitha asked. Jezebel paused in lifting her sandwich to her mouth and stared at her friend, trying to decide how to answer. Closing her mouth, she put the sandwich down.

"I don't know."

Eric dragged his eyes off of Alucard and frowned at her.

"What do you mean, you don't know? Everyone knows their birthday." He said it in a loud, outraged voice and the group of kids five feet away looked up curiously. Jezebel scowled at them.

"I just don't, okay? I never…I've never had a birthday party."

"Wow…that sucks," Tabitha said, giving her a sympathetic look. Jezebel transferred her scowl to her friend, having no interest in receiving anyone's pity.

"How do you not know your birthday?" They looked up as one of the kids from the next group over spoke up. "I mean, your parents would really have to hate you to not even tell you what your birthday is."

"She's lying." That was the girl Tabitha didn't like, Chloe. "Everyone knows their birthday. It's on your birth certificate. She's either stupid or lying to get attention." Although the girl didn't say it directly to Jezebel, she pitched her voice so everyone within a ten foot radius would hear her and she cast a sly look over at their group as she spoke. Jezebel narrowed her eyes at the girl and moved to get up, but Ethan grabbed her arm.

"Don't. She's not worth it," he said. He narrowed his eyes at Chloe as well. "But I see what you mean, Tabby. I'll give these last two invitations to Daniel and Logan. Eric, you wanna help me out, here?" Handing a couple of the invitations to Eric, he rose and proceeded to make a big fuss out of handing out his invitations, effectively ending the interest in Jezebel's birthday…or lack thereof. Jezebel picked up her sandwich again, stared at it for a moment and then put it back down, not really feeling hungry anymore.

V^^^V

Jezebel stared out the car window as they rode home, deep in thought. She had a small bit of folded paper in her pocket, inviting her to a 'Birthday Bash' at the Alexandra Palace. Ethan seemed to sense her pensive mood and had abandoned his attempts to discuss the impending event after only a couple of tries.

Once they reached Hellsing, they split up, Ethan to work with Alucard, Jezebel to finish her lessons. She did her best to concentrate, but when Mrs. Carringer released her after the last lecture, she couldn't have said what, exactly, the lessons had been about.

Instead of looking for Ethan and Alucard, she headed toward Integra's office. Biting her lip, she knocked on the door, caught up in her own thoughts. The woman bid her enter and she turned the knob to push her way through. To her surprise, she found Seras standing in front of Integra's desk. Both women looked up at her expectantly.

"Oh…err, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"We were finishing up," Integra said. "Was this something you needed privacy for?"

Seras watched the girl curiously. She hadn't had much opportunity to interact with her since Christmas. In addition to her duties fighting supernatural threats alongside Alucard, she handled the training and management of the Hellsing troops and worked with various law enforcement agencies around England to help screen for what crimes belonged to supernatural threats and would fall under Hellsing jurisdiction. It didn't leave her much time to interact with Integra's heir. She really needed to change that.

"Umm…I guess not. I just…well…Ethan invited me to his birthday party. It's in two weeks."

"Oh, that sounds fun." Seras smiled at the girl. Jezebel shifted, a little uncertain in the presence of the female vampire that she didn't interact with much and didn't really understand.

"Are you asking permission to go?" Integra frowned, wondering what had the child so nervous. Surely, it wasn't Seras. Next to Alucard, the blond vampire was virtually harmless.

"Well…yes, but that's not really why I came. Umm…" Jezebel glanced at the ground and then back up to meet Integra's blue eye. "Sir Integra, do I have a birthday? Alu says I must, since I'm alive, but…I don't know what it is."

Seras's eyes widened, horror struck that Jezebl was missing a bit of personal information that most of the rest of the world took for granted. Even as an orphan, she had at least known her birth date.

Integra sat back in her chair, scowling. She and her head IT technician, Gary, had already handled this issue on an administrative level. So far as they could tell, the Vatican hadn't recorded Jezebel's existence with any government entity. Not surprising, really. They had the resources and political clout to keep a person's existence hidden away indefinitely, if they so wished.

However, as the heir of Hellsing, Jezebel had to have a paper trail. It helped that they had contacts at the highest governmental levels for such things. They had forged a birth certificate for her, using deceased Hellsing personnel for her parents. That allowed her to be considered an English citizen and they had obtained a passport and official adoption papers for her, establishing her as Integra's adopted child and heir. Of course, they'd had to create an official date of birth for her in order to accomplish all of that.

"We don't know the exact date of your birth, of course, but we were able to approximate the year," Integra said. "For the day and month, well, we used the day that you came home to Hellsing. October thirteenth."

Jezebel absorbed this information and a slow smile spread across her face. "So, I _do_ have a birthday"

"Yes, you do."

Integra wondered if she would want a party, like her friend. She supposed it only made sense. She could hand the arrangements for that off to Seras and Matheson. Seras, especially, would enjoy the assignment.

The girl shuffled her feet, glancing at Seras a couple of times and then she glided around Integra's desk and pressed her arm against the woman's and tilted her head to rest it on Integra's shoulder. It was the strangest approximation of a hug that Seras had ever seen.

"Thank you for my birthday," Jezebel said and moved away from Integra again, headed for the office door.

"You're welcome."

Jezebel tossed a smile over her shoulder as she slipped through the door. Seras turned to Integra, a puzzled look on her face.

"Was that all she wanted?"

"Quite possibly."

Seras tilted her head to the side, a frown creasing her brow.

"I wonder…should we be worried? She seems so strange…and sort of distant."

"I've consulted with Dr. Bernstein about that. The reality is, unless she's willing to talk to someone about it, there's not much we can do. She's surprisingly well behaved, considering her history." Integra sighed, staring after the girl. She'd become even more concerned about Jezebel during the kidnapping, afraid of what additional damage it might do to her psyche. Surprisingly, she'd proven rather resilient about the whole matter. But, then, maybe it wasn't so surprising after all. She _had_ survived ten years of mild to moderate abuse with the Vatican. "All we can do is wait and see. She's opening up, slowly but surely. She exhibits traits becoming of a Hellsing. I think…she may be just fine."

"Yes, sir." Seras nodded and turned to leave, but her thoughts remained troubled as she closed the door behind her.

**A/N: Yeah, so, I got a review a while back that I don't have enough of Seras in my story. *sigh* They're right. I've just never been a big Seras fan. Although I know she probably had the most character development of all of them, I have trouble seeing her as the vampire she became. In my head, she's eternally the fledgling that Alucard despaired of and I don't generally care for her much. So, I'm trying to wrap my head around the idea of the vampire Seras had to have become by the end of the series and work her in more. It's not easy, but what is the point of writing if you don't have a challenge on occasion, right? *grin***


	29. A Night at the Movies

**A Night at the Movies**

"Let's go see a movie."

Jezebel looked up at the blond vampire, her head tilted to the side. She'd heard some of the kids talk about movies at the playground, but she hadn't ever seen one, herself. It wasn't something Alucard seemed interested in, so she hadn't developed much interest of her own.

"Why?"

Seras frowned, unprepared for the question. The answer seemed obvious to her. Why would anyone go to a movie? For fun, of course.

"Well, ah…I thought you might like it. We don't get to do much together…"

The girl bit her lip, wondering why the vampire suddenly wanted to do things with her. Since Christmas, she hadn't had much to do with Seras at all. She hadn't particularly wanted to. It wasn't that she didn't _like_ Seras. She just didn't understand her or have anything in common with her that she was aware of. But...Tabitha had been talking about inviting her out for a movie the other day. It might be a good idea for her to go, now. It wouldn't do for her to look like a fool with no knowledge of what to do at a theater.

"What movie?"

"I was thinking about The Bridesmaid," Seras said, grinning at the girl's interest, small though it was. "It's supposed to be really good. They've been hyping it for months. _Everyone_ is going to see it."

"Can Alucard come?"

"Oh…err…I suppose, although I was hoping it could just be you and me. He's supposed to be catching up on his sleep today, and I don't know if he'd like the movie." Seras frowned, wondering if she shouldn't have asked. It was almost like the girl didn't like her. Had she done something to make Jezebel leery of her? She couldn't imagine what…

"Oh yeah." Jezebel looked back down at the paper on the desk in front of her. She just had one last question to answer on her homework and then she was going to go practice her martial arts and play with Dark. Alucard had told her he needed to sleep today unless there was an emergency. She could hardly call a trip to the movies an emergency, but there was no reason to refuse.

"Sure. I'll go. Can I just finish this assignment?"

"Sure!" Seras's face lit up in a wide smile. "I need to change into street clothes, anyway. Meet me in the front parlor."

"Okay."

V^^^V

Jezebel stared at the bright lights outlining the selection of movies showing at the theater, trying to keep her mouth from gaping open in awe. It wasn't _that_ impressive, after all. It _was_, however, new and different.

Seras led the way to the line of people waiting outside the box office. The buxom vampire got several looks, eyes roving over her generous physique, but then the appreciative eyes would drop to Jezebel and suddenly lose all interest. The vampire chuckled and smiled down at the girl.

"I think I should bring you with me more often. You certainly keep the perverts at bay."

"What? Why?" Jezebel stared up at Seras in puzzlement. The blond just laughed.

"Usually, at a place like this, I get hit on left and right. No one ever seems to care that I'm not interested. They probably think you're either my daughter or my little sister and they don't want to have to deal with either of those."

Jezebel frowned, trying to decide if she needed to apologize for that. No. Seras didn't seem to mind, and even seemed to mean it that she liked avoiding the attention.

"What does 'hit on' mean?"

"Oh. Err…I guess no one uses that phrase much anymore, do they? It means they want me to…err…uh…" If she'd been capable of blushing in her undead state, Seras would be beet red right about then. How did you explain aggressive flirting and its intended result to a ten year old? "They uh…want me to go home with them for the night."

Jezebel frowned, trying to puzzle out what was wrong with that.

"I don't understand."

Seras sighed. She shouldn't have brought the subject up. She had no idea when or how Integra intended to bring _that_ subject up with the girl, but it wasn't her place to step in.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just say I'm glad to get a break from fending off the attention."

"Alright."

Seras purchased their tickets with a Hellsing credit card and they made their way into the front lobby. Jezebel sniffed the air appreciatively. Something smelled good.

"Want some popcorn?"

"What's that?"

Seras's jaw dropped.

"You've never had popcorn?"

Jezebel shook her head and Seras immediately headed for the concession lines. One of the few food items she'd really, truly missed since undeath had forced her onto a liquid diet was popcorn.

"You _have_ to try this stuff. I can't believe you've never had popco…oh, wait. Yeah, I guess you wouldn't have. Well, you're going to love this!" The vampire grinned, shrugging off the depressing realization that Jezebel must have missed out on many things that she, herself, had experienced as a child before her parents died. So many things that she'd just taken for granted.

Several minutes later, loaded down with popcorn, soda and M&Ms, they headed for the theater. Seras picked their seats while Jezebel stared around the theater with stadium seating…so many seats. Would there be a person for each one of them? The thought of so many people sent a shiver down her spine. The lines outside had been bad enough. Maybe this whole movie idea wasn't so great after all.

Oblivious to her discomfort, Seras picked a pair of seats near the middle and sat down. Jezebel joined her, boosting herself up into the seat and giving the giant screen at the end of the room a curious look. The vampire proffered the tub of popcorn and Jezebel picked out a kernel, trying the salty treat for the very first time.

"It's…fluffy." Jezebel popped the piece in her mouth and chewed, a look of concentration on her face. She swallowed and licked the salt from her lips. "It's good…but it gets stuck in your teeth." She reached up to dig a bit of popcorn out of her molars and Seras laughed.

"Yes, it does. Now, we have to be quiet so everyone can enjoy the movie."

Jezebel nodded and reached for the popcorn again. She could certainly learn to like this stuff. It'd be better if bits didn't get stuck in her teeth, but some sacrifices had to be made. The lights went down and the previews started.

A little over an hour and a half later, they left the theater, chunking the half empty tub of popcorn and the remnants of the soda. Seras pocketed the bag of M&Ms which Jezebel hadn't gotten to.

"So? What did you think?"

Jezebel tilted her head to the side, considering the question.

"Why would anyone ever want to get married if they had to go through that?"

Seras burst out laughing.

"Most weddings aren't that bad. That was a romantic comedy, Jezzie. It was supposed to be silly."

Jezebel shrugged, not really getting the joke. The whole fiasco looked like more trouble than it was worth. And the bridesmaid had been a bumbling idiot. She had no idea why the guy in the movie would fall in love with her. It made no sense. Eventually, he'd be miserable having to live with her.

Seras sighed.

"I'm sorry. I really thought you'd like it."

Jezebel didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't really liked the movie, but the theater was interesting. She looked around at the various movie posters advertising other shows available to watch. One caught her eye.

"Can we see that?" She pointed at the poster of a freakishly tall man with face paint making him look perpetually confused bending over a little girl in a pale yellow dress with a matching parasol. Seras tilted her head at the poster.

"Cirque du Soleil: Ephemeral. Well…sure, if you want."

"Please?"

Smiling at the first real hint of enthusiasm Jezebel had shown, Seras went to buy the tickets. Unfortunately, the next showing wasn't for almost an hour. The vampire looked around at the buildings stretching up and down the sidewalk outside the theater.

"I suppose we can wander around here until the movie starts. I've been wanting to look at that new shop on the corner."

Jezebel looked at the place in question. Candles, lotions and soaps filled the display window. The candles interested her, so she shrugged and nodded, content to go along with the idea.

They set out down the sidewalk, Jezebel sticking close to Seras. The crowds had grown considerably while they were in the theater. People brushed past one another, hurrying from one shop to the next. Jezebel jumped out of the way of one man in a dark trench coat with a wide brimmed hat pulled over his eyes. It reminded her a bit of Alucard, except the hat and coat were the wrong shape and color…and the man wasn't nearly tall enough to be her idol. She turned to watch him push past a knot of people, and his hand shot out to grasp the strap of a purse belonging to a young woman distracted by a conversation with her friends.

The purse slipped down her arm and off her fingers before she could react and grab for it. The man jumped into a sprint, shoving past shoppers and dodging his way between trash cans and light poles as an outraged screech erupted behind him. Jezebel grabbed for Seras's shirt and tugged on it. The vampire was already turning at the sound of the woman's angry shout.

"He took her purse, Seras!" Jezebel pointed at the fleeing figure and, without thinking, Seras took off in a sprint after him. The girl followed, valiantly trying to keep up, but unable to match the vampire's swift pace.

Seras flowed through the crowd like water down a gully, slipping between obstacles like they weren't there. She caught the man by the back of his coat, using his momentum to yank him off his feet. He stumbled and choked on the collar of his shirt. Panicked, he dropped the purse and tried to writhe out of the vampire's hold, but Seras was having none of it. Reaching out, she grabbed a wrist, twisting it up behind the man's back. He cried out, back arching and body straining to contort into a position that would take the pressure off of his trapped arm.

Jezebel caught up in time to see Seras tighten her hold just a touch in warning that the man should seriously rethink any plans he had to struggle against her. The owner of the purse dashed up behind Jezebel, panting from the run.

"Oh my god! Thank you so much!" She stooped to retrieve the item from the ground, unzipping it to make sure nothing was missing. The thief hadn't had time to remove any of the contents and the woman sighed a breath of relief. "I really appreciate it. The cash my grandmother gave me for my next semester of college was in here. I hadn't gotten a chance to deposit it yet. I…I might be able to give you some as a reward?"

Seras smiled and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. I don't need it. I'm just glad I could help."

In the distance, a police whistle sounded and the thief in Seras's grasp made a desperate bid for freedom, twisting in an attempt to slip out of his coat and the hold she had on his arm. Releasing the coat, she struck him a blow between the shoulder blades that drove the breath from his lungs. He dropped to his knees, relearning how to breathe as she jerked on the arm pinned up behind him. A low, wet pop announced the dislocation of his shoulder joint and the man screamed, a rough, guttural sound of pain.

"It's a mild dislocation," Seras said as his scream broke off to a pained whimper. "If you don't move around too much, they'll be able to patch you up at the hospital and it'll only take a couple of weeks to heal."

The man cursed as she let him go, cradling his injured arm against his chest. The policeman arrived and Seras explained the situation and that the man needed to go to the hospital before they booked him. The officer took the information down after placing handcuffs on the crook and calling for a back-up car to transport the criminal. He took a statement from the woman with the purse who couldn't seem to shower enough praise on Seras. By the time they finished with the police, they had to rush to make it to their movie.

Jezebel watched the whole thing, her mind churning. Until now, she'd thought of Seras as little more than Alucard's shadow, and a pale one at that. Of course, she'd never really seen Seras in action until now. As they headed toward the theater to watch their second feature, she reached up to grasp the last two fingers of Seras's right hand. The vampire looked down at her, startled. Jezebel didn't acknowledge the look, but she didn't let go of those fingers, either. A small smile spread across the blond vampire's face as they handed their tickets in and made their way to the darkened theater to choose their seats for the show.

**A/N: Yay, Seras! I actually had more fun writing this chapter than I thought. I also saw Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away around the time I wrote it. It struck me as something Jezzie might like to see and I figure they'll still be around by the 2030s. *grin* I lurve Cirque du Soleil.**


	30. Ice is Harder than Water

**Ice is Harder than Water**

"Sir Integra?"

Integra looked up from her dinner, giving Jezebel a questioning look.

"Will you be coming to Ethan's party with me? I can bring two adults, and I was thinking…you and Seras might want to come?"

Integra winced. Screaming children at an ungodly hour of the morning didn't exactly appeal to her.

"I had thought you would want Alucard there."

"Ethan invited him as Voica." Jezebel took a bite of mashed potato and watched Integra expectantly. The head of Hellsing sighed but managed to summon up a smile.

"Barring an emergency the night before, I'll go, but we'll have to go to bed early."

"Alright!"

Jezebel went back to her meal and Integra spent the rest of dinner telling herself that it was important for the girl to bond with the only family she knew. Even if it _was_ at the Hellsing equivalent of three in the morning.

V^^^V

Matheson pulled up in front of the Alexandra Palace, an old castle that had been converted to an entertainment venue decades ago. Two children and two adults got out of the Hellsing Bentley and closed the doors so the butler could park the car.

"I've been here before," Integra said in a suspicious tone of voice. "What kind of birthday party is this?"

"Ethan said it was ice skating."

Integra sighed. She should have checked the invitation.

"Ice skating?" The enthusiastic tone in Seras's voice made Integra flinch. "I haven't been ice skating in years. This'll be fun."

"You know how to ice skate?" Integra lifted an eyebrow at the blond vampire. Seras nodded. How had she lived with the vampire for over thirty years and never learned that she knew how to skate? Narrowing her eyes, she looked down at Alucard in his girl child form. "Please don't tell me _you_ know how to skate, Alucard."

The black haired child looked up with an impish grin.

"I've never touched ice skates in all my many centuries, master."

"Well, that's something, at least." Although she didn't exactly feel comforted. Somehow, Alucard would find a way to make her feel like a fool. Maybe she could claim advanced age as a reason to stay off the ice…but that thought just made her flinch harder. Integra Fairbrooke Wingates Hellsing backed down from nothing.

The front entrance to the palace showcased a gorgeous circular window with a filigreed starburst design. The morning sun glittered on the glass panes. Jezebel's eyes grew wide as she climbed the stairs toward the entrance.

"It's beautiful."

Integra smiled. Jezebel didn't look at many things with that kind of wonder, but she had a good eye for art. The window _was_ beautiful. Not so the bright turquoise metal railings that lined the outside of the building. They brought color to the sidewalks but clashed with the red and beige walls. However, no one would mistake the place for a royal residence and she supposed that was the point.

The turquoise railings continued inside, but here they at least matched the décor more closely. Jezebel presented the invitation for herself and Voica which would allow Integra, Seras and Matheson in. Integra gave them Matheson's information so they wouldn't stop him at the door and they headed into the ice rink.

It had obviously been designed as a sports stadium more than a public skating rink. The bulk of the extra space outside the rink was taken up by stadium seats, but the near end of the rink had a concession stand and the skate rental counter. Mrs. Sumner stood there waiting for Ethan's guests to show up so she could direct them where to go. Her eyes landed on Integra and she seemed to momentarily seize up, her left eye twitching. For a couple of seconds, it seemed like she might blow up at the head of Hellsing, but then she shuddered, closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them with a genuine smile on her face.

Integra glanced down at Alucard in his child guise, expecting to find him giving Mrs. Sumner the evil eye, but he wasn't even paying attention. His eyes scanned the ice rink, watching the people as they flew…or limped…their way around the slick oval. He wore the white coat and child-sized suit he usually preferred in this form and had chosen to forgo the dark glasses although morning sunlight streamed in through the many windows. She'd almost forbidden him to come if he refused to hide his eyes, until he'd smirked at her and the livid red irises faded to a dull, normal brown. She'd forgotten he could do that.

They got their skates, Alucard asking for the same size as Jezebel. Integra wondered if they really had the same size feet until she realized it didn't matter. Even if his shoe size didn't match Jezebel's, now, it would by the time he put the skates on. Damn vampire.

"Jezebel!" The girl turned, a wide grin on her face as Ethan came trotting up…on ice skates. How did the child _run_ in those things? Sure, the floor was covered with a layer of rubber, but that blade was less than five millimeters wide. "You made it! All of you. Hello, Sir Integra, Alu…err, Voica. Sorry! And…umm…"

"Oh! You haven't ever met Seras, have you, Ethan?" Jezebel looked startled, but although the blond vampire had heard of him, naturally, Ethan didn't know who she was. "Umm…Ethan, this is Seras. She's Alucard's err…"

"Daughter," Alucard said in his child's voice, looking up at his fledgling with an impish grin. "Sometimes, he calls her his fledgling. They're related by _blood_."

Ethan cocked his head at Seras, for a moment trying to see the resemblance and then it clicked in his head. "Oh! I'm sorry, Voica. I'm scattered today. I see, now. It's nice to meet you, Seras."

"And you, Ethan. I've heard a lot about you."

"I hope it's all good. Come on, Jezzie! I can't wait to get you on the ice." He grabbed her hand and they raced off toward the benches where people sat to change out of their shoes into the skates. Alucard paced them while Integra and Seras followed at a more sedate pace.

"Umm…master? Jezzie and Ethan seem awfully close." Seras watched Jezebel pull off her shoes while Ethan loosened the laces on her skates. "Do you think they might…err…extend the blood line when they're older?"

Integra chuckled at the vampire's attempt at subtle phrasing.

"I don't know, Seras. Alucard has plans for that boy and I'm not sure if he'll _survive_ to see adulthood. If he does, we'll see…assuming there's enough human left in him to produce a child."

"Oh." Seras knew that Alucard was doing something with Ethan that was making him something more than human, but she didn't really know what. Her sire didn't share everything with her and he'd disappeared before he could teach her everything about being a vampire. Even now, they occasionally found gaps in her education that Integra assumed Alucard had told her and vice versa. Sometimes, she wondered if she would have to learn everything through trial and error.

Integra watched the excited children as they drew near. It took her a moment to realize Alucard wasn't taking his boots off. Instead, he was examining the ice skates, running gloved fingers down the blades. He turned the skates over, bringing them up to run a critical eye down the grooved metal. He tilted them this way and that as thought trying to memorize their shape.

Ethan knelt in front of Jezebel to help her tighten her laces properly. Alucard bent down as though putting on his own skates. The folds of his white coat hid what he was doing but two rental skates sat propped up against the end of his bench. When he stood, he wore a pair of white figure skates with fur lining that Integra was certain had not existed before this moment.

The head of Hellsing sat beside Seras and watched Alucard balance on the thin blades as he waited for Ethan to help Jezebel to her feet. They made their way toward the rink, Jezebel holding onto Ethan with one hand while the other stretched out straight from her side to help maintain her balance. Alucard followed them, arms at his sides, but fingers splayed out and brow knit in concentration.

"Master? Sir Integra? Are you going to put your skates on?"

"Just a moment, Seras. I _must_ see this."

Seras followed her line of sight and spotted Ethan pulling Jezebel onto the ice, holding her hands as he skated backwards. Alucard paused at the edge of the ice, frowning down at it.

"That's right! He's never skated before," Seras murmured, eyes gleaming as she watched her sire. The child vampire shot a look in their direction and for a moment, Seras thought he might be angry at them, but then a grin stretched across that child's face. He pushed out onto the ice, took one gliding step, wobbled a bit, overcompensated and both feet flew out from under him. He crashed to the ice in a flurry of white coat and black hair.

Jezebel and Ethan turned, jaws gaping at the vampire sitting on the ice, legs stretched out in front of him. Integra burst out with a great guffaw of laughter. Seras gave her wide eyes. She very rarely heard Integra laugh with anything stronger than a sardonic chuckle. Now, she had tears of hilarity leaking from the corner of her eye as she held a hand across her stomach and gasped for breath. Out on the ice, Alucard grinned as he climbed to his feet and set out across the slick surface, catching up to Ethan and Jezebel with an impish grin. He moved with the skill of an old pro.

With a start, Seras realized he must have done that for Integra's benefit. After all, if he so wished, he could levitate just above the surface of the ice and simply go through the motions of skating. He would never actually fall unless he _chose_ to.

V^^^V

Jezebel couldn't decide if she loved ice skating or hated it with a pink and purple passion. Once she got her balance and managed to pick up some speed, the cool breeze on her face felt great, until her balance abandoned her and she landed hip first on the chilly ice.

It didn't help that Ethan could literally skate circles around her…and did. To add insult to injury, Eric and Tabitha showed up with their own skates and proceeded to skate their own circles around her. Apparently, the three of them had gotten season passes to a local ice rink a couple of years ago and learned to skate together.

Ever the best friend, though, Ethan refused to leave her side while she learned the basics. And of the three of them, _he_ was the only one that could skate backwards.

After three tortuous laps of the rink, Jezebel headed for the exit, looking for a drink of water and a break.

"Giving up already?" Ethan teased as he helped her off the ice.

"A Hellsing never gives up, but I need a drink."

Grinning, he helped her to the water fountain and then over to where Integra sat. She had her skates on but hadn't hit the ice yet. She'd been watching Alucard glide around the rink with a glower that told her she knew the vampire had only fallen because he _wanted_ to. Seras had joined him and while she was a little shaky at first, the lessons she had taken as a child, before disaster had struck her family, quickly came back to her. In the spirit of good fun, she refused to use her levitation and had already fallen once, attempting a spin she used to do in her childhood.

"Are you going to skate, Sir Integra?" Jezebel asked.

"I will, at some point. They're clearing the ice, though."

Ethan looked up and grinned.

"Awesome. You get to see the Zamboni."

The skate stewards, whistles blowing, were herding the skaters off the ice. Jezebel spotted Daniel and Logan lurching their way toward the exit from the rink. She hadn't seen them arrive but their clumsy movements made her feel better about her own performance out there.

"Oh, hey, dad!"

Jezebel looked up to see an older man with Ethan's sandy brown hair. She'd never met Mr. Sumner before.

"Dad, this is Jezzie and Sir Integra. Jezzie, this is my dad."

Jezebel waved but scooted closer to Integra. The woman smiled and held her hand out to the man.

"I would stand to greet you, but I have yet to test my balance against these infernal contraptions."

"Have you never skated before?" Mr. Sumner asked, a note of concern in his voice. "Err…you know the adults don't have to skate."

Integra narrowed her eye at him.

"I am the head of the Hellsing organization, Mr. Sumner. I am perfectly capable of attempting something new…even at my age."

Mr. Sumner opened his mouth and then shut it again, intimidated by the woman's conviction. Although he _was_ concerned about her getting hurt by a fall onto the ice, what could he say that wouldn't insult her? Erring on the side of caution, he dropped the subject.

"Err…once the Zamboni runs, they'll be serving cake and ice cream at the table and Ethan will be opening gifts."

"Thank you, Mr. Sumner."

With a nod, the man left to find the other party guests. Integra turned to Ethan and Jezebel.

"Go. Watch the Zamboni. I'll see you at the table afterward."

"Are you sure?" Ethan frowned. He might be able to run on the rubber floors but he remembered the first couple of times he'd walked on the blades. It wasn't easy and twisting an ankle was a strong possibility. Unlike his father, he wouldn't back down from Integra's regal bearing, but he _did_ trust her judgment.

"I'll be fine, Ethan. Go."

Nodding, Ethan grabbed Jezebel's hand and started guiding her toward the stairs to the stands where they could get a good view of the Zamboni. Looking at her feet, Integra took a deep breath, and shifting her center of balance, she rose to her feet.

Years of fencing practice served her in good stead as she balanced on the skates' blades. Feeling for that equilibrium, she took a step and then a second one. Her ankles wobbled a bit but she kept her balance firmly under control.

"Madam."

Integra looked up from her concentration to find Matheson standing just in front of her. He hadn't even bothered to pick out any rental skates, staying firmly in solid, _flat_ shoes.

"I do not doubt your ability to make it to the party table, but with a shoulder to steady you, you will complete the journey before the Zamboni completes its run." He didn't even look at her, simply standing close, with his back to her where she could easily grab onto him if she needed to.

Smiling at her butler's impeccable discretion, she reached up to grasp his shoulder and seated herself at the table before anyone besides the Sumners showed up. She watched as ten rowdy kids…yes, the vampire included, piled in around the table and did her best to not wince at the piercing voices.

Mrs. Sumner did a credible job of getting the kids to quiet down so they could sing 'Happy Birthday' followed by a round of 'hip, hip, hooray'. Ethan blew out twelve candles and Mrs. Sumner served out cake and ice cream.

After that, gifts were opened. For appearance's sake, the Hellsings had brought a gift of two videos he had been wanting, but Ethan had received his real gifts earlier that week. From Jezebel, a prepaid cell phone so she could call him when she wanted, and from Alucard, a promise to begin weapons training in the next week.

Cake eaten and presents opened, the kids took to the ice again. Ethan held Jezebel back long enough to tighten the laces on her skates and she found that her second time out on the ice went smoother and with encouragement from her, Ethan set out on his own. He raced around the oval, crossing one foot over the other as he took the turns, leaning into the center of the rink as his blades cut into the ice. Alucard joined him, matching his pace and grinning like a loon.

Integra watched the two of them from the rink entrance and then, with a look of grim determination, she stepped out into the ice. Immediately, she grabbed for the wall that lined the rink. Luckily, for the sake of her pride, she wasn't the only one doing that, or even the only adult.

Keeping her chin up, she concentrated on her feet and her balance. She kept one hand on the wall and pushed off with small motions, keeping her feet close to her center of balance at all times. Her ankles wobbled and she clung to the wall more than she would like, but she made progress. Unbeknownst to her, she soon picked up an entourage of two vampires. They followed at a discreet distance as she made her way around the rink, picking up speed and confidence as she went. By the time she circled the rink once, she wasn't even touching the railing, just keeping one hand over it just in case. She felt steadier on the blades, more confident in her balance.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed away from the wall, only by a couple of feet, but enough that it couldn't save her from falling. The vampires moved closer. She kept her movements small, but certain. As she picked up speed, a small smile curved her lips. She could do this. A Hellsing backed down from nothing.

A small, fast-moving body clipped her hip.

She didn't know the child, but the force of his momentum upset her balance. She threw her arms out, fighting to regain her equilibrium, but the surface area that supported her weight was too small. Her left foot slid out from under her, her right ankle twisted as she shifted her weight to compensate and down she went.

She landed on something fluffy and soft, a pair of arms catching her around the shoulders. She recognized the arms as belonging to Seras, but the angle was wrong for it to be Seras she had fallen on. Looking down, she saw the white coat that Alucard wore in his girl-child form and a fanged, Cheshire grin.

"If you wanted to be on top, master, all you had to do was ask."

**A/N: OMG, Alucard defies pronouns! Grawr! Stupid male vampire in a girl's body. Pain in the south end… *glares at said vampire, grumbling about pronouns* Yeah, so, usually, I refer to Alucard as 'she' when he's in his girl child form, but it just didn't seem to work in this chapter, so I went back to referring to him as 'he'. *sigh* Inconsistency for the win? Stupid vampire. *gives vampire one last glare* *is ignored***


	31. Weapons Training

**Woot! Over 150 reviews and over 10k views. I'm beginning to think you people might like this story! *grin* **

**Thank you, everyone, for all the support for this story. Jezzie and Ethan are really my babies and it means a lot to me that so many people like them and enjoy reading about them. As always, I love, love, love my reviews and do my best to send a note to those who leave a review with an associated account. (Can't send a note to a guest review. Sad panda. But I love those too.)**

**It looks like this story is nearing enough words to be considered a novel. Wow. I don't know if I've ever written this much in this span of time. Now, I just need to pour this kind of effort into my original fiction. Lol.**

**Please enjoy this next chapter.**

**Weapons Training**

Alucard crouched low to the ground, knees bent and center of gravity perfectly balanced. Jezebel circled around him, brow knit in concentration, looking for an opening. He always presented one. It was her responsibility to spot it and exploit it.

There!

She lashed out with her left fist at his stomach, the right fist toward his temple and then a spin kick to his side. The punches didn't connect, but that was okay. They were feints anyway. The kick landed with a solid thump.

"Break!" Mr. Clarke's voice rang out and Alucard came out of his crouch, grinning. Mr. Clarke nodded his approval for his student. "Good job Jezebel. Face each other." Jezebel and Alucard took their places next to Mr. Clarke, hands together in fists in front of them, facing one another. "Bow to each other. Bow to me."

With the formalities completed, Alucard stepped forward to ruffle Jezebel's hair. She had it pulled back in a tight french braid but he managed to dislodge a few strands.

"Alu! You're messing up my hair. It'll get in my way, now."

"That's fine. Your part is done. It's Ethan's turn, now."

"Did I pass?" She turned a hopeful countenance on Mr. Clarke.

"I'll announce that after you're both done," the instructor said, giving her a stern look. With a sigh and a bow, she headed toward the edge of the mats where Ethan had gotten to his feet. He smiled at her as he walked out onto the mats to take her place facing Alucard.

"Your assessment is different, Ethan," the vampire said. Although Mr. Clarke taught the class, Alucard had a heavy hand in Ethan's part of it. After all, he was turning the boy into something more than human. "For the first part, we will be testing your control. Your strength is greater than an average man's. You must be able to gauge the force of your blows, so you will perform this first part as though you were fighting Jezebel. If you hit me hard enough to maim or kill a human, you will fail."

Ethan nodded. A worried line creased his brow, but he took his position with his shoulders back and chin up. Alucard took a similar position facing him.

"Bow to me," Mr. Clarke said, officiating the sparring match. "Bow to each other. Touch fists. Fight!"

Alucard lashed out at the boy, lightning fast. Ethan spun into a turn kick aimed for the vampire's unprotected side. Alucard paused, actually _waiting_ for the blow to land. In a normal fight, Ethan wouldn't have a prayer of touching him, but this was an assessment, not a true battle. Not yet. At the last second, the boy remembered to pull the blow so it tapped the vampire's side rather than plowing into him.

Controlling the blow like that was much harder than just slamming into his opponent. It could be hard to judge just how much force he was applying and although he'd been practicing his control every day, he didn't have it down perfect yet. To compensate, he concentrated on pulling the punches and kicks to bare taps, hoping the vampire didn't dock him for not hitting hard enough.

A ringing blow struck the back of his head, making him stumble. Stars danced in front of his eyes as he whirled to face the vampire again. He couldn't let his attention wander.

Circling, he looked for an opening. Just like jezebel, he had learned that the vampire always left an opening. He just had to find it. In the months he'd been learning under Mr. Clarke, he'd discovered that Alucard made a good sparring partner. The vampire knew the techniques so thoroughly that he could imitate mistakes that a half trained or untrained opponent might make. As Mr. Clarke liked to tell them, the most dangerous opponent wasn't always a well-trained one. Sometimes, it was an untrained one, simply because their next move couldn't be predicted.

The vampire bared his fangs, glaring at the boy with narrowed red eyes.

"Are you a mouse? Attack me!"

Ethan narrowed his eyes. He'd fallen for that, before. He would attack when he was good and ready. Instead of meeting those glowing eyes, the boy watched Alucard's chest. He examined the position of his arms, the tilt of his shoulders.

Ducking low, he slid forward to close the distance between them. He lashed out with a left back hand, punched with his right, both aimed for the vampire's gut. He kicked with his back leg, throwing his body weight into the blow so it caused him to step forward, but snapping his foot back as soon as he felt the ball of his foot contact with the vampire's flesh.

Alucard smiled and nodded, then came at him. By the time Mr. Clark called 'break', Ethan had sweat pouring down his face and his chest heaved as he gasped for breath.

"Walk the mats. Two laps," said Mr. Clarke. Ethan nodded, heading for the edge of the mats as he gulped air, sucking oxygen deep into his lungs. Alucard spoke with the instructor as he circled the mats, Jezebel grinning and reaching out to poke his knee as he passed her.

With the laps completed and his pulse and breathing under control, he joined the vampire and his instructor in the middle of the mats. Alucard grinned at him, fangs bared.

"This time, if you pull any hits, I'll make your ears ring."

"Yes, sir!"

Mr. Clarke set them off and Ethan launched himself at the vampire, striking for every opening he could spot. This time, Alucard blocked his blows, grinning like a loon as he danced around the boy. They battled, Ethan taking as many blows as he landed until Mr. Clarke saw the boy stumble as he advanced on the vampire and called 'break'. Once again, Ethan's chest heaved as he gasped for breath. He tried to take a step toward the instructor but his knees rebelled. He'd thrown everything he had into that round of sparring. Exhaustion washed through him and he sank to his knees on the mat.

Alucard stared down at him, not offering to help, just evaluating. Mr. Clarke frowned, wondering if he should do something to help Ethan. The boy didn't seem to be in overt distress. His breathing was labored and his limbs shook, but the air rushed, unobstructed, in and out of his lungs with each breath and he didn't look panicked or faint. The child's brow furrowed in determination and after a moment, he pushed himself back to his feet and crossed the mats to stand facing Alucard as though nothing had happened. The vampire smiled and nodded his approval.

Mr. Clarke closed out the formalities and sent Ethan to sit next to Jezebel while he discussed the assessment with Alucard. She gave him a worried look as he sat down next to her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He took a deep breath and smiled at her. "Just tired."

"But you collapsed."

Ethan shook his head, his smile melting into a scowl.

"I'll get better. I swear it."

Jezebel cocked her head at him. She thought she understood what he meant. Just as Integra expected things from her as the heir of Hellsing, Alucard expected him to put every iota of effort he could muster into mastering the skills he was learning. She tried to imagine Eric, Tabitha, or any of their other friends bearing up under Alucard's training. They would buckle under the strain and she knew it. She grinned, suddenly glad it was Ethan that had been kidnapped with her. She wouldn't wish the experience on _anyone_, but for her own sake, she was glad it had been Ethan.

"Line up!" Mr. Clarke's voice brought them to their feet. With only two of them, they didn't make much of a line, but they arranged themselves side by side in front of the instructor and the vampire. Mr. Clarke called them to attention and they stood, backs straight, feet shoulder width apart, hands fisted and held close together in front of them.

"You've both passed," Mr. Clarke said and Jezebel broke out in a fierce grin. "Originally, I hadn't planned on assigning belt ranks here, but after discussing it with Sir Integra, we have decided to award belts to acknowledge your advancement in skill level."

Ethan and Jezebel looked at each other and grinned. As focused as they were on the classes, it still made a difference to receive visual proof of their accomplishment.

"Every school handles their belt ranks differently. The only true common denominator is that the final belt rank is black belt. For your training, the ranks will be white, yellow, green, blue, brown and black. You have both progressed quickly and today you have demonstrated proficiency that qualifies you for the green belts.

Mr. Clarke turned and bowed himself off the mats. He knelt next to a bag sitting against the wall and pulled a pair of dark green, quilted belts out. Alucard watched him return with a sardonic expression. While he understood the appeal of belt ranks to a child's mind, he expected both of them to put forth full effort, with or without the recognition. Still, there was something about the grin on Jezebel's face that made the corner of his mouth quirk up.

Mr. Clarke handed one of the belts to Alucard and knelt in front of Ethan with the other one. He unraveled it and reached out to wrap it two times around the boy's waist. Tucking the outside loose end under both layers of belt, he tugged to bring it snug around the boy's body and tied it off. Retrieving the second belt from Alucard, he repeated the process with Jezebel. Stepping back, he smiled at his students.

"From now on, you'll wear your belts during practice so no one may doubt the level of skill you have achieved. Well done. You are dismissed."

The children bowed to their teacher and then turned to one another, grinning.

"You're not done," Alucard said, catching their attention before they could run off to play with Dark. Behind them, the room's double doors opened and Integra stepped inside, lifting an eyebrow at the new belts that Ethan and Jezebel wore. Matheson followed behind her, arms full of what looked like various swords.

"I see that you've passed your assessments, both of you." The children nodded and Integra looked up to peg Alucard with an arch look. "I assume they _both_ passed, _all_ parts of the assessment?'

Alucard grinned and sketched a low bow.

"Of course, my master."

Integra nodded. She had stressed that Ethan _must_ learn to control the…enhancements that Alucard's blood gave him. Without that control, he could seriously hurt someone and since it was _her_ vampire making him like this, she would hold herself accountable.

"Today, you begin edged weapons training," she said. She indicated for Matheson to place his burden beside the mats with a nod of her head. "I will instruct you both in the saber. Alucard will instruct you in other forms. Once you show an aptitude for a particular weapon, the focus of your training will shift to that. There are uniforms waiting for you in the locker rooms. You will go, change into them and return here immediately."

Jezebel and Ethan both bowed as they had learned for the martial arts and raced out of the room. Integra strode toward the mats, kneeling to sort out the practice swords and other equipment.

Ethan returned first, a wire mesh mask tucked under his arm.

"Put that aside for now," Alucard said, holding out what looked like a stick with a slight curve to it. Ethan set the mask down and took the stick from the vampire. The tip dropped to the ground, heavier than it looked.

"This is a bokken. It is a practice sword for the Eastern styles of sword fighting."

"What's it made out of?" Ethan lifted it, fully able to heft it. He just hadn't expected the weight.

"White oak, with a core of iron. You will be learning with specially weighted pieces."

The boy nodded as he examined the polished wood. Alucard stooped to pick up another bokken, this one of a wood covered in black lacquer and polished to a mirror finish.

He walked Ethan through the beginning forms as Jezebel worked with Integra, learning the basics of fencing. Thirty minutes later, they switched places. Ethan cut a glance at Jezebel as he slipped the fencing mask on and Integra helped him Velcro it into place.

The vampire didn't start with a bokken with Jezebel. Instead, he handed her a pair of shorter sticks that resembled daggers. As Ethan joined Integra on the mat, he wondered why he got the bokken while Jezebel got the daggers.

He thought back to the conversation that he'd had with Alucard, that he was to be a weapon of Hellsing; a weapon that Jezebel, as the heir to Hellsing, would wield. That made sense. Of course he would learn the more offensive weapons while Jezebel learned more defensive techniques. _He_ would be the one on the front lines, moving at her command.

Smiling, he stepped up and trained his attention on Sir Integra. Somehow, he really liked that idea. One day, he would become the best weapon available in Jezebel's arsenal...next to Alucard, of course.

**A/N: So, except for some very casual fencing lessons, I've never had any edged weapons training. Heh. Research is my friend. I'm still up in the air about what Ethan's primary weapon will be. Of course, it can't be a gun, for obvious reasons. I don't want to rip off Walter's wires. I'm leaning toward a pair of Kukris, but they're rather brute force. Ethan is more like a dancer, with the agility and stuffs. I like the idea of having him use an Urumi, but I know so little about the sword. From what I can tell, though, it'd rip through a horde of ghouls in a skilled hand. Anyone have any suggestions?**


	32. Doubts

**Oh, wow. I got sooo many reviews for the last chapter. Thank you guys so much! I love you all! Please enjoy the next chapter. :)**

**Doubts**

Jezebel flipped her notebook closed and shoved it in her cubby. Putting her pencils away, she raced out of her room. Homework had taken longer than she expected and she was overdue to take care of Dark and play with him.

Racing down the stairs, she headed out into the garden and the kennel beyond. To her surprise, she found a black-clad figure crouching beside the fence, fingers stuck through the chain link. Dark leaned against the fence, letting the person scratch at his ruff, tongue lolling out.

"Who are you?" Jezebel called the question out, startling crouching figure and dog. Dark tore away from the figure, racing for the door to his kennel. He whined and pawed at the gate, eager to see his human.

The crouching figure rose and Jezebel's eyes widened. She hadn't expected to see Father Mitchell here. She hadn't had much contact with him since he ousted Araqiel from her mind almost a year ago.

She hurried to the kennel door to let Dark out. Since the kidnapping, he had become fiercely protective of her, but he seemed to trust the priest. He slipped past the gate, jumping up to put muddy paws on her front and slather her jaw with his tongue.

"Down, Dark," she commanded with a giggle. He dropped to all fours and ran a tight circle around her, beating out a tattoo on her legs with his tail. Jezebel turned to face the priest who came forward with a chagrined look on his face.

"I hope you didn't mind me petting him. He seemed lonely."

Jezebel sighed and looked down at her dog, watching her with bright eyes and a lolling tongue. She knelt and pulled him into a hug, scratching at his ruff and sides until he collapsed onto his back to present his belly to her.

"He probably was, Father Mitchell. I was late getting down here to play with him. I had to finish my homework." She frowned, scratching at the dog's belly. "I wish he could come inside. I'd get to see him a lot more."

Father Mitchell nodded, coming a little closer. He had avoided the girl at Sir. Integra's command as had most of the Hellsing personnel. He watched her scratch Dark's belly, happy that she didn't seem at all nervous in his presence. She had grown, mostly in that her bones no longer stuck out quite so far and her face didn't look so pinched and hungry. She looked older, more confident.

"I suppose there's a lot of valuable things in the house that he might break without meaning to," he said.

"Yeah. I can bring him in the basement, but there's not much light down there to do my homework with and I'm afraid he'd accidently knock over a candle or lamp."

"That's very sensible of you." Father Mitchell sat down next to her and reached out to scruff Dark's ears, rubbing the back of his skull. The dog stretched out and yawned, basking in the attention. "I used to have dogs when I was a boy, but we didn't have many expensive things in our house. My dogs slept at the foot of my bed. The horses had to stay out in the barn, though."

"Horses?" Jezebel looked up at him, her curiosity peaked. Father Mitchell grinned at her.

"My mother loved horses…and dogs. She competed in jumping and dressage until an accident when I was twelve put her out of the competing circuit. I think she always hoped I would compete, but as much as I loved the horses, I had another calling."

"I'd love to have a horse." Jezebel looked at Dark and sighed. "I don't think I would take good care of one, though. Sometimes, I think I don't give Dark enough attention."

Father Mitchell blinked at the girl, more than a little surprised. For a moment there, he'd almost forgotten that he was talking to a ten year old girl. Her words were so much more mature than her age. Maybe they had her age wrong. Could she be closer to twelve or thirteen? Possible, but sometimes, children that age acted _less_ mature than their younger counterparts. He knew she'd been through a lot. Obviously it had aged her in ways her guardians might not even realize.

"Oh, I don't think you neglect him at all." Father Mitchell smiled down at the content dog and Jezebel looked at him with surprise.

"Really?"

The happiness and hope in her eyes tugged at the priest's heart strings.

"Yes, really. Do you know how I know?"

"How?"

"He worships you." Father Mitchell gestured at the dog. "Dogs are loyal creatures, but they have to have a connection with their master. If he didn't get enough attention from you, he wouldn't act like this. He enjoyed me petting him, but as soon as you showed up, he abandoned me, racing to you. That kind of loyalty tells me that he loves you dearly and is well loved in return."

Jezebel looked down at Dark, tears brimming in her eyes. She dashed them away, embarrassed to cry in front of the priest, but his words soothed a worry in her heart that she hadn't known how to address.

"I'm learning so much, from Mrs. Carringer, Mr. Clarke, Alu and Sir Integra." She looked almost sad as she scratched at the dog's belly. "I _have_ to learn, and there's still so much more _to_ learn. Sometimes, I feel like I'll be as old as Sir Integra before I'll be ready to inherit Hellsing, if I ever am."

Father Mitchell smiled. In the last few months, he had counseled more than a few of the Hellsing soldiers that came to him, worried about the eventual change in regime that Jezebel represented. They knew virtually nothing about her and some of them even doubted her blood relation to the Hellsing line. He'd done his best to reassure them, reminding them that Sir Integra had never failed to do everything in her power to run the Hellsing organization at its greatest potential. Now, however, he could assure them that even at the tender age of ten years, the Hellsing heir took her future responsibilities very seriously.

"It's natural to have doubts, especially with so much riding on your shoulders," he said. "I'd be more worried if you didn't doubt at all."

"Really?" The girl looked up at him with surprised eyes. "Alu said I shouldn't have doubts."

"Alucard is a warrior. It is not in his nature to doubt. He follows the orders of his master. One of his greatest strengths is that he does not regret the things he must do in the name of the greater good and he does not doubt the orders of his master, but in the hands of a truly evil person, he could be even more of a terror than he would be on his own. The arrogance of total confidence has been more than one leader's downfall, whether it is a fall to an enemy or a fall into corruption.

"Don't be afraid of your doubts, Jezebel. Instead, _think_. Let them lead you to find answers for the questions they inspire. Doubts help you make sure that the path you are on continues to be the correct one. A leader that does not doubt cannot change, and a leader that does not change is like a tree that will not bend before a powerful wind. It will appear to stand strong, until it breaks and destroys everything in the path of its fall."

Jezebel's hand stilled on Dark's belly as she stared off into space, processing his words. She nibbled at her bottom lip, eyes narrowing.

"So, I can doubt, but not let doubt keep me from doing what I must, only make sure that what I must do is always the right thing."

Father Mitchell blinked. From the mouths of babes. It never failed to amaze him how a child could spout incredible wisdom at the oddest times. He only hoped that this wasn't a fluke for the heir to Hellsing.

"Yes. Yes, that's it, exactly."

Jezebel nodded and went back to rubbing Dark's belly.

"What kind of dogs did you have when you were little?"

"Ah…several types, actually, but my favorite was a greyhound named Ferdinand. We called him Ferdy."

Jezebel giggled.

"Ferdy is a silly name."

"I suppose it was," Father Mitchell said with a smile. "Dark is a much better name. Very fitting for this fellow, here." He ran a hand down Dark's side.

"Did you train Ferdy?"

"Well, we house trained him, and he would sit and walk on a leash, but he never did seem to grasp the concept of 'shake' or 'roll over'."

"Shake?" Jezebel looked confused. "Mr. Tanner never taught me a command like that. He helped me train Dark. Wanna see?"

Father Mitchell smiled at the girl's enthusiasm.

"I'd love to."

Jezebel jumped up and raced to fetch Dark's leash from where she had dropped it next to the kennel. The dog flipped over as soon as she stood and followed close at her heels. She slipped a pinch collar over his head, making sure it hung loose as Mr. Tanner had taught her, and attached the leather leash. Dark immediately sat at her left side, tongue lolling out and ears pricked as he watched her. Father Mitchell lifted an eyebrow, impressed.

Jezebel grinned with pride as she stepped out with the command 'heel' and Dark rose to pace alongside her. He performed admirably until they got to 'stay'. Father Mithcell knew as soon as Dark rose from his sitting position that he was going to chase after his human as she crossed the yard. He chuckled as Jezebel turned and the dog took off across the space that separated them.

"No!" Jezebel's voice was more dismayed than angry. Dark paused at the command, but only for a moment before he finished closing the distance between them and sat in front of his master.

"See? He loves you." Father Mitchell smiled at the girl as he came toward the pair. "How about we see if he can learn 'shake'?"

Jezebel enthusiastically agreed and they spent the next half hour teaching Dark to shake and roll over. Father Mitchell grinned at the girl's giggles as Dark put a paw in her hand and let her pump his leg up and down.

He had to admit he'd been worried about the girl's development and mental health. Between the demon possession, her close relationship with a half mad vampire and the recent kidnapping, the potential for disaster seemed infinite. Somehow, though, she seemed to be a happy child and rather well-adjusted, all things considered. Of course, who knew what might happen once she got into her teens, but for the time being, he had high hopes for the future of Hellsing.

"Father Mitchell, would you do something for me?" Jezebel looked up fro;m where she dished out food for Dark.

"What's that?"

"Would you visit Dark when you have time? I'm afraid that I'm just going to get more and more busy. I don't want to neglect him. I think he'd like it if you came and played with him."

Father Mitchell grinned and nodded.

"I'd be happy to."


	33. I See Crazy People

**I See Crazy People**

"Please, Alu! Please come with us! Seras says even _you_ will like the movie!" Jezebel stared up at the vampire with huge, pleading eyes.

Alucard lifted an eyebrow and looked up to find the police girl's chagrined face. She really did think he would like the movie, but she hadn't expected Jezzie to beg him to go quite so vehemently. If she turned out to be wrong…

"Are there scantily clad women in this movie?" he asked with a toothy grin. Seras sighed and rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she thought he'd only changed her in order to preserve her…assets…for eternity.

"Knowing movies today, I'm sure there will be."

Alucard's grin widened and Seras couldn't decide if it was due to the thought of a movie with scantily clad women or because he'd managed to thoroughly nettle her…again. Jezebel cocked her head at the two of them.

"What does 'scantily clad' mean?"

"Nothing," Seras said with a blink. She would have colored up with embarrassment if she wasn't over thirty years dead. Alucard looked down at the girl.

"It means a person is not wearing very much clothing or the clothing doesn't cover very much."

"Master!" Seras gave Alucard an outraged look. The older vampire grinned back.

"Why does it matter how much clothing they have on?" Jezebel asked with a look of confusion.

"For you, it doesn't," said Alucard, "and for Seras, it shouldn't, unless there's something you've failed to mention, police girl?"

A horrified look crossed the blond vampire's face and she spluttered with indignation. Alucard's smile stretched into a manic grin at her embarrassment. Jezebel scowled at the two of them, fully aware that she was missing something in their exchange. She ran the conversation over in her mind but couldn't for the life of her figure out what was so funny, or embarrassing for Seras. Giving it up as a lost cause, she turned those puppy dog eyes on Alucard again.

"Please?"

"I will go," he said with a smirk. Such an outing promised further opportunities to nettle his fledgling. Jezebel grinned and wrapped her arms around his middle. He looked down and his smirk melted into a soft smile.

Seras blinked, still not accustomed to this tenderer version of her master. Although, it wasn't like _she_ had ever reached out to him the way Jezebel did. It seemed like she had just spent all her time disappointing him as a fledgling, and then he'd disappeared for three decades.

With a mental shake, Seras pushed her errant thoughts away. It was all water under the bridge now, anyway.

"The movie is in an hour. We should probably get going if we want to get good seats."

V^^^V

"Hansel and Gretel were dumb," Jezebel said as they exited the theater. She had a hand firmly wrapped around a fold of Alucard's duster. "Who is stupid enough to try to _eat_ a candy house that they find out in the middle of the woods?"

"Well, I'm sure they were very hungry," Seras said, "and they were just children."

Jezebel gave her a disgusted look.

"It was a house made out of _candy_. In the middle of the _woods_. They were dumb."

Alucard's low pitched laugh rumbled up out of his chest and Seras scowled at him.

"Her logic is sound, police girl."

"But master, it's just a story, to teach children not to wander off or take what isn't theirs."

Alucard lifted an eyebrow at the younger vampire.

"Is that what you think?"

"Well…yes. Those old stories were all meant to teach children something…weren't they?"

The older vampire laughed and shook his head.

"Undoubtedly, many of them were, but Hansel and Gretel was a tale of famine and the depths that even the most devout human can fall to when hunger twists their gut. The woodsman and his wife abandoned their children to the wild and the witch stooped to cannibalism. The tale was whispered around inn fires with sly looks at whatever family had 'tragically' lost a child most recently or used to bolster the courage of a village in full mob pursuing the old woman in the forest that no one understood and feared because she was not like them."

"That's horrible!" Seras gaped at her master. He gave her a toothy grin.

"Surely, police girl, such a concept is not new to you."

"Well, no, but I never thought…"

"Of course you didn't." Alucard set out toward the parking lot, Jezebel trotting at his side to keep up. Seras scowled at them, hands on hips. The red-clad vampire tossed a wicked grin over his shoulder and Seras realized she had fallen for his teasing again.

"You're so mean!" she cried out as she rushed to catch up with them.

"Master! Oh, master! I have come, I am here!"

Seras stopped dead, looking toward the source of the voice. Who else but she would call Alucard master? The taller vampire stopped as well and turned, a deep scowl creasing his brow.

From the far end of the parking lot, a man jogged toward them. He had long, scraggly hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in days. A thick, curling beard graced his jaw and he wore what looked like at least three layers of clothing, all of them filthy and torn. Seras wrinkled her nose as his stench assaulted her sinuses.

The man dashed up to Alucard, falling at his feet as the vampire pushed Jezebel behind him. The bum grasped for the hem of the red duster, bowing and groveling.

"Please, master! Command me! Teach me! Guide me!" He looked up with crazed, blood-shot eyes. The vampire's expression remained blank behind his orange tinted spectacles. "I've been waiting so long for you to arrive, master!"

Seras burst out laughing, doubled over with convulsions. The madman jumped, looking at her over his shoulder with wide, frightened eyes as Alucard glared at her outburst. She put a hand over her mouth, eyes shining with mirth, watching the crazy bum edge closer to his 'master' as though the vampire would protect him from her.

"I had forgotten, master," she said with a chortle, "how the mad flock to you. Have you found yourself another Renfield?"

Alucard glared at her and tried to shove the man away with a foot. The madman clung to him all the harder, groveling at his feet.

"Please, master. Please. I will serve you. I will do anything you wish. I will…" His voice trailed off as he caught sight of Jezebel, peering at him curiously from behind the red duster. He edged around Alucard's legs, head cocked to the side in curiosity. A low growl trickled out of the vampire's throat.

"You do not see her. For you, she does not exist."

The madman flinched and looked up at the vampire with desperate, pleading eyes. Seras wondered why Alucard didn't just remove his spectacles to capture the man's eyes and hypnotize him to leave, but then noticed how the madman's eyes shifted constantly, one moment looking in the direction of Alucard's face, the next looking to the side. Would he actually make eye contact with the vampire at all?

"I mean her no harm, master! It's just that she has such a vibrant life force! But I would never take what rightfully belongs to you, master."

The growl in the back of Alucard's throat ratcheted up a notch at the implication that Jezebel was nothing more than a meal. The man flinched again, dropping low to the ground in a classic kow tow. He pressed his lips to the vampire's boots and Seras shuddered, her humor drained away.

She had no fear of the man. He was, after all, just a crazy human, but his behavior left her feeling unsettled and more than a little nauseous. What did it take for a human to act like this? What had gone wrong in the man's head?

"I have no need of a groveling servant," Alucard said, lip lifted in a sneer. "Go. Leave us in peace."

"No!" The madman threw himself at the vampire, wrapping his arms around Alucard's legs. He sobbed incoherently, clinging to the creature as though his life depended on serving him.

"Jezebel, come here," Seras said, holding a hand out for the girl. She didn't doubt Alucard's ability to protect Jezebel, but the Hellsing seal would require him to wait until the crazy guy laid a hand on her since Integra wasn't here to release it before that. Seras had no such restrictions.

Jezebel took a couple of steps away and looked up at Alucard, silently asking him what to do. He nodded at Seras, apparently agreeing with her assessment of the situation. That surprised the blond vampire a bit. Surely, it must be a blow to his pride to hand Jezebel's safety to someone else, but he didn't hesitate. He knew the limits of the seal, and how unpredictable the mad could be.

The girl hurried to Seras's side, taking the proffered hand. She looked up at the blond, scowling.

"Why doesn't Alu just kill him?" she asked. Seras frowned. She expected the girl to ask why Alucard wouldn't hypnotize the madman, but to jump immediately to murder…

"He hasn't actually done anything wrong, Jezzie. Without Sir Integra here, Alucard can't release his seals to kill a human unless they directly threaten us."

"I don't like him," the girl said. "He looked at me…wrong. There's something wrong with him. He looked at me like I might taste good for dinner."

Seras almost laughed at the irony. Given the chance, Alucard would have humans for dinner every day of the week and Jezebel adored him, but this human that looked at her with such hunger deserved to die. Maybe this was a good chance to point out the flaw in the girl's logic.

"You know, Alucard eats humans for dinner," she pointed out. The vampire in question shot them a smug grin at the accusation. No argument there.

"Alu doesn't _have_ to kill someone to drink their blood," Jezebel said with the stalwart conviction of the very young, "and he has to eat humans. That guy can eat normal food. Alu only kills people that deserve it."

Seras sighed, wondering if she should even bother to tell the girl that only the Hellsing seal made that statement true, and not always, then.

"Besides. He's _my_ monster. He wouldn't hurt me."

Now, _that_ might be true, with or without the seal.

Seeing Jezebel safe with Seras, Alucard reached down to grasp the madman by his filthy hair. He tugged and the man squalled like a newborn babe, but refused to let go of the vampire's legs. Baring fangs, Alucard tightened his grip and _pulled_, ripping the man away from his legs.

The bum dangled in his grasp, whimpering and gibbering pleading nonsense. Tears gushed from his eyes and snot dribbled out of his nose. Seras wrinkled her nose as she almost gagged at the scent of fresh urine.

With an utterly disgusted look, Alucard grabbed the man by the jaw and tilted his own head so he could peer over the rims of his spectacles.

"Look at me."

The madman whined and writhed in his grasp, eyes darting all over the place. The vampire shook him like a scruffed pup.

"_Look_ at me!"

With a gasp, the madman's eyes locked with Alucard's red ones and he grew still, staring enraptured into the vampire's crimson irises.

"You will go. Leave us in peace. You have no business here."

"I have no business here."

The man's slack, obedient face made Seras breathe a sigh of relief. She hated dealing with crazies like this. Usually, that fell to Hellsing personnel when they showed up on the doorstep, trying to get to Alucard. It wasn't often that the vampire was out and about to encounter them on his own, although that had changed since Jezebel's arrival.

Alucard released the madman, watching with disgust as he stumbled drunkenly away.

"Why _do_ they flock to you, master?" Seras had always meant to ask that and always forgot to. Alucard shrugged.

"Who can say? A moth to the flame, perhaps. In another time, I would simply have destroyed him." He smiled at Jezebel, holding a hand out to her. She rushed over to slip her palm into his. "However, my master's orders shall prevail."

"I would have let you kill him, Alu," Jezebel said. Alucard chuckled.

"Perhaps, little master. Perhaps."

**A/N: So this little idea spawned when I was re-reading Dracula. I had forgotten that in the novel, Dracula had never met Renfield before the crazy dude showed up on his doorstep after escaping the asylum. In one of the movies, they say Renfield had gone to Transylvania and been replaced by Jonathan Harker, but in the book, he was just a crazy guy under John Seward's care in the asylum next door to Carfax Abbey. When I read how Renfield escaped the asylum and showed up on Dracula's doorstep, begging to serve him, this idea popped into my head. What if crazy people always flock to Alucard, whether he likes it or not? *grin* And we got to see a little bit of Jezzie's ruthless side. It doesn't always show, but it's there.**


	34. Great Escape 1: Surprise Vacation

**Hello, all my lovely readers. Tonight we begin a new story arc. Yay! I hope everyone likes it. Enjoy!**

**The Great Escape Ch. 1: Surprise Vacation**

Ethan waved to Matheson as the butler pulled away after dropping him off at home. Shifting the backpack hanging from his shoulders, he headed inside, his thoughts on the small birthday celebration that Jezebel had planned for the next week. She would finally be turning eleven.

He stepped through the door to find both of his parents sitting in the living room on the loveseat that faced the door. The T.V. wasn't on and they both looked so serious. He paused in the doorway, wracking his memory for anything he might have done to warrant a family meeting.

"Ethan, you're home." Why did his mom sound so relieved? He came home every day safe and sound. Well, except for that one time, but she shouldn't be thinking about that; not with Alucard's subliminal suggestions policing her thoughts. "Check to make sure the car is out of sight, George. We need to get you changed and ready to go, Ethan."

"Go? Go where, mom?" Ethan took a step backward. He wasn't completely sure what was happening, but he thought his mom might have broken free of the subliminal suggestions. He wasn't due back at Hellsing until Monday afternoon. If his parents intended to take him somewhere, they could get pretty far in forty-eight hours.

"It's a surprise vacation," his mom said, plastering a bright, _fake_ smile on her face. Ethan's hand tightened on the strap over his shoulder, wondering if he should try to make a break for it. His dad had risen from his seat, crossing the room to peer out of the window as his wife had asked him to.

"Matheson is gone, dear."

"Good." Mrs. Sumner stood and gestured at her son. "Come on. Those aren't good traveling clothes. Let's get you changed so we can head out. This is going to be so much fun."

Ethan shook his head.

"I can't leave suddenly like this, Mom. I have lessons at Hellsing on Monday. What about your job? Does Sir Integra know we're leaving?" He knew she didn't. She would have said something to him about cancelling class during the vacation, even if it was supposed to be a surprise for Jezzie's birthday next week. His mother's countenance darkened with anger at the mention of Hellsing.

"We'll let them know," she said, struggling to keep her voice calm and bright. "I'm sure they'll understand."

"No, mom. Jezzie's birthday is next week. We should reschedule and let them know so they can work my training schedule around this."

Mrs. Sumner stood, marching across the living room with a deep scowl on her face.

"Ethan Thomas Sumner. You will march yourself upstairs right this minute, young man!"

Ethan blinked. As much as he wanted to argue further, he couldn't bring himself to say anything when she used his full name like that. He needed to call Jezzie, let her know something was wrong, but the cell phone she had given him was upstairs in his room.

With a sigh, he headed for the stairs. He could call Jezzie while he seemed to be obeying his mother. Mrs. Sumner watched him trudge up the stairs, a satisfied look on her face. She turned to her husband so they could make the final arrangements before leaving.

Ethan tossed his backpack into the corner and headed for his dresser. He got down on his knees and stuck a hand under the heavy piece of furniture, feeling around for the phone that he kept under there.

No one had told him to keep the birthday present he got from Jezebel a secret from his parents, but it had seemed like a good idea. Now, he was glad he had or his mom probably would have taken it while he was at Hellsing that afternoon.

His hand encountered the small, rectangular item and he pulled it out with a smile. Retreating to his bed, he sat down and dialed the only number he'd ever used with the phone. Holding it to his ear, he listened to it ring five times and then it dropped to voice mail. Scowling, he pulled the phone away from his ear and hit the 'end' button.

She must be out playing with Dark. He could leave her a message, but…he had another number programmed into the phone. He just never used it. After all, it was only for emergencies. Opening the contacts list, he pressed a thumb on the one labeled 'Integra Hellsing'. He hesitated before dialing through.

What if he was wrong? What if Sir Integra did know about the trip and had approved? Maybe it was supposed to be a surprise for him and Jezzie both, something for her first birthday with Hellsing. He hated to disturb Sir Integra if he really was overreacting to something the adults had all planned together.

But…no. If this was something that the Hellsing adults had helped to plan, then his mom would have said something to that effect, if only to get him to cooperate. He needed to call Sir Integra.

The phone screen had gone blank while he deliberated. He pressed the button to activate it and swiped his thumb across the screen. The door to his room opened.

"Ethan, are you…what is that in your hand?" His mom stood in the doorway, staring at the phone in his hand as though it was something much worse, like drugs or a knife. He blinked at her, his heart jumping into overdrive, a surge of guilt making his stomach queasy.

"It's…it's a phone, mom."

"Where did you get it?" She came into his room with a stormy expression, her hand held out in an obvious demand for the phone. He swallowed, debating whether he should hit the command to call Sir Integra before his mom got to him, but he took too long to decide. She snatched the offending object from his hand. "_Where_, Ethan?"

"J-jezzie gave it to me for my birthday."

Mrs. Sumner looked at the screen, touching it with her thumb to reactivate it. Her eyes narrowed.

"You were calling that infernal woman? No sir! Absolutely not!"

She hit the button to shut the phone down and slipped it into her pocket. Marching to his dresser, she pulled out a pair of jeans and a warm sweater. Tossing them on the bed, she turned to face him with her arms crossed.

"Change."

"Not while you're in my room, mom!"

"I changed your diapers, young man. You will change, right now, or I'll do it for you. Don't think you're too big to bend over my knee, because you're not."

With a resigned sigh, Ethan picked up the clothes and did as he was told.

V^^^V

Jezebel flopped onto her bed, sweat cooling on her brow. Dark had entirely too much energy! She closed her eyes, waiting for her heart to slow down. They had romped and played until she was gasping for breath and even the energetic dog flopped down in the grass, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. Now, she needed a shower.

Sitting up, the girl started to slide off the bed when she heard a faint rumble. She frowned, cocking her head to the side, but she didn't hear it again. Shrugging it off, she slid off the bed, collected fresh clothes and headed for the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom with damp hair and clean clothes. Dinner would be served in about half an hour. She had time to get in a game of chess with Alucard, assuming he hadn't been sent out on an assignment. As she crossed the room to the door, she heard that faint rumble again. She paused, frowning. Something about that rumble seemed familiar and since she'd heard it twice, now…

Turning away from the door, she started searching for the source of the sound. Had it come from the closet? Cursing the size of her room, she started there and then moved on to her dresser. After about a minute, she heard it again and her head came up. The bedside table.

Opening the drawer, she found her cell phone sitting on top, the screen still lit but dimmed. She didn't use the thing much since Ethan came over so often and she had really asked for it so she could talk to him. Picking it up, she activated the screen and scowled at the message telling her he had tried to call. She hit the redial button and held the phone to her ear.

After five rings, it dropped to voicemail. Weird. _He_ had called _her_, and now he wasn't answering. Maybe he'd gotten busy doing something else. She knew he didn't normally keep the phone with him. Shrugging, she sent him a text: 'What did u need?'

Pressing the button to black the screen out, she headed for the door. There might still be time to get that chess game in.

As she descended the stairs to the basement, her pocket vibrated. Scowling, she pulled the phone out. She should probably turn the actual ringer on, but she had forgotten how. Maybe Alucard could help her with that.

She activated the screen and found a text message waiting for her.

'Dialed accidentally.'

She stopped on the stairs and scowled. That made sense, but why hadn't he answered the phone when she called him back? And something about that phrasing seemed wrong. Ethan didn't use the phone for anything but calling her. How could he have dialed accidentally? Maybe he sat on it, the proverbial 'butt dial', but he probably would have said that. Something did _not_ add up.

Shoving the phone in her pocket, she hurried down the stairs and pushed open the door to Alucard's room. For once, the vampire wasn't there.

Jezebel paused, trying to think of where he might be, but that could be anywhere on the Hellsing grounds and maybe somewhere outside Hellsing if he'd been sent on a job. The longer she deliberated, the more certain she was that Ethan's message_ wasn't right_.

Shutting the door behind her, the girl headed back up into the bulk of the Hellsing mansion. Pausing outside Integra's office, she lifted a hand and knocked. No answer. Maybe there _was_ a hunt tonight. Integra often went with the vampires and she might never know the woman wasn't home until dinner. After all, she had Matheson there if anything went wrong and after the kidnapping incident, the periphery security had been doubled with one set of cameras kept on their own generator and monitored by Hellsing security.

She knew she couldn't interrupt a hunt based on a hunch that something was wrong. Scowling, she pulled the phone out and tried calling Ethan again. If he had really sent the message, he would answer.

The call dropped to voice mail.

Not good. She couldn't prove it, but she'd bet her position as the heir to Hellsing that something had happened to Ethan. Turning away from the office door, she went in search of Matheson.

She found the butler in the kitchen with Mrs. Smith, the cook, finishing the preparations for dinner. He looked up as she pushed through the door and straightened as he realized who it was.

"Is there a problem, young miss?" he asked.

"Matheson, I need you to take me to Ethan's house to check on him. He's not answering his phone."

The butler lifted an eyebrow and then pulled a pocket watch from his waistcoat to check the time. He shook his head as he flipped the watch closed.

"It is less than twenty minutes to dinner and, as I'm sure you've discovered, Hellsing has been summoned to deal with an incident. I'm sure the boy is either asleep or doing something with his parents. Sir Integra will decide whether it should be looked into when she comes back."

Jezebel scowled at the insufferable man. He never did listen to her, not like Alucard and Sir Integra did.

"Please, Matheson? He just texted me and it didn't seem like him."

"He texted you?" The butler frowned at her and Jezebel winced, knowing what he would say next. "If he texted, then he must be fine. Please go wash your hands and prepare for dinner, young miss."

He turned back to his task and Jezebel's shoulders drooped. She hadn't wanted to mention the text, precisely because of that reaction. Turning, she pushed her way through the kitchen door. Once it closed behind her, she took off running toward the basement. She had an idea, and it would most likely get her into loads of trouble, but she _had_ to know if Ethan was okay. If she had definitive proof that something had happened to her friend then she could justify calling Sir Integra during a hunt. She would just have to find out for herself.

**A/N: Poor Mrs. Sumner. She thinks she's helping her son. Too bad she doesn't realize what is out there waiting for him…**


	35. Great Escape 2: Hatching a Plan

**Hello, hello, my wonderful readers. It's so good to see you again. I hope you enjoy this next installment of The Great Escape. With the posting of this chapter, this particular fanfic will be over 80k words. O.o I first published this at the end of November. So, that's roughly 26k words a month. And that doesn't count what I've written on Chance Encounter. I'm not sure I've ever written this much, this consistently in my life. I think this fanfic stuff may just get me the writing habits I need to actually write the original books I have in my head so I can put them up on Kindle. Woot. Gotta finish one of these fanfics, though. O.o**

**The Great Escape Ch. 2: Hatching a Plan**

Ethan glared out the window of the Chunnel train, unable to make out any of the details of the vast tunnel that connected Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom to Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais in France. He'd never gotten to ride the Chunnel train before but couldn't bring himself to appreciate it much, now. Not as certain as he was that his parents were making a grave mistake.

By now, even his mom was starting to drop the façade that this was just a surprise vacation. They were running from the Hellsings. He had no idea where they were headed or how his parents intended to pay for this little jaunt. As much as his mom complained about money, he would think they couldn't even leave the country. He'd been shocked when his mother presented a passport with his name and picture in it. When had she gotten that?

Not that it mattered. At this point, he was just along for the ride and trying to figure out how he could get back to England if he managed to make a break for it. He'd already made one attempt, but he got caught up in a crowd and his dad stopped him. He could have broken free, bulled his way through the crowd to freedom but…he could easily hurt someone doing that. His dad thought he was doing what was best for his son. His mom thought that too. He couldn't hurt them. He just couldn't.

So, he waited, getting farther and farther away from where he wanted, no _needed_ to be. His future was with Hellsing and he knew it.

A voice came over the speakers of the train, announcing in first French and then English that they had arrived in Paris. Ethan jerked awake, belatedly realizing he had fallen asleep. All things considered, it was probably the best time for him to sleep, but he didn't like it. Sleeping meant he missed part of their journey. Sleeping represented a sort of passive complacency with his situation. He couldn't allow that.

The train pulled to a stop and everyone seemed to get up at once. Luckily, it was late on a Sunday, so the cars weren't quite as packed as they could have been. For a moment, he thought about refusing to move from his seat. With his new strength, courtesy of a certain vampire, no one could budge him if he didn't want them to. However, that would draw unwanted attention and if Alucard and Sir Integra had taught him _anything_, it was that he couldn't use his strength or speed unless Hellsing was there to deal with the fallout, or in direst need. Unfortunately, he couldn't call this dire…yet.

With a glare from his mom, he rose and accepted the suitcase she handed him from the overhead compartment. They made their way down the center aisle, his mom in front and his dad behind. He walked down the steps of the train, knowing that there was no turning back, now. He had no money and his mom had his passport. Without those two things, or at least the cell phone she had taken, he was effectively stranded.

"Mom, where are we going, anyway?"

"Your father has an uncle in Zurich. We'll visit him and then decide from there. Isn't this fun? A European road trip!"

Ethan glared at his mother.

"I thought you already gave up on the fake trip story, Mom. I know we're not on a vacation so you don't have to pretend."

"You watch your mouth, young man. I don't like what I've been seeing in your behavior since you became friends with that Hellsing girl. She's a bad influence on you."

Yeah. Like this was really because of Jezebel. Ethan sighed and trudged after the woman, his brain hopping back on the problem of how to escape his parents with the things he would need to get home. How long would it take for Sir Integra and Alucard to realize he was missing? Would they be able to find him once they did? Surely they would come after him. After everything they'd taught him, they wouldn't just let him go, would they?

His mom looked around the station and headed for the exit with sure steps, a determined slant to her shoulders. Ethan hung back until a few feet separated him and his father from the woman.

"Dad, how are we paying for this?" He looked up at the man with pleading eyes. Maybe bringing up the whole money issue would help.

"Your mother had some savings put away in case of emergency. Come on. We don't want to get separated from her."

Ethan knew his dad wasn't really listening to him, but maybe he could use that to his advantage.

"Is this really an emergency, Dad?"

"Well…yes. I suppose it must be." Mr. Sumner frowned as he herded his son after his wife. There must be a reason for this exodus from their home. Mrs. Sumner wouldn't use their savings for anything less than a true emergency, but he couldn't seem to remember what, exactly, the emergency was.

V^^^V

Jezebel hurried down the basement stairs, trying her best to not think too hard about the repercussions of what she was about to do. The cool air felt good on her face, warm from her dash from the kitchen and the adrenaline that coursed through her. Even though she knew the vampires weren't home, she felt like Seras might pop out of nowhere at any moment.

Squelching the sick feeling in her gut, she tugged open the basement door closest to the stairs, the one she'd never been inside. She kind of expected to find the place covered in pink or white lace, but instead she found a rather austere but comfortable room.

A switch on the wall activated an overhead light that bathed the room in clear, white light. Apparently, the blond vampire had a liking for electricity that her sire lacked. Well, that only made this easier.

The middle of the room sported what appeared to be a large canopy bed in dark wood with deep gold drapes, but upon closer inspection, Jezebel found a wooden platform inside the curtains with a coffin resting on it. Standard bedside tables sat to either side of the drapes that hid the coffin from the rest of the room. A wardrobe and chest of drawers in matching wood sat against the wall on the left. To the right stood a matching dresser and a wingback chair with a lamp and small bookcase beside it.

Biting her lip, Jezebel looked around the room, trying to decide where to start. She hated to go through Seras's personal things, but she didn't see any other choice. She certainly wasn't about to go through drawers in Integra's office, and Alucard didn't have any drawers in his room. She wasn't sure he standardly carried what she was looking for.

With a shrug, she headed for the chest of drawers and started rummaging through them, doing her best to leave everything where she found it.

Not finding what she was looking for there, she moved on to the wardrobe. Geez, did Seras have enough clothes? She had expected to find several of the short yellow outfits that made up her Hellsing uniform, but those only accounted for about half of the contents of the wardrobe, not to mention the shirts and pants that crammed the chest of drawers.

Jezebel sighed and started pulling out the small drawers under the hanging uniforms. She found various pieces of jewelry some of it costume and some of it that looked real. To her joy, she found what she was looking for in the second drawer. She plucked the red leather wallet from its place next to a collection of small purses. Inside, she found several Hellsing credit cards with Seras's name on them.

Grinning in triumph, Jezebel stashed the wallet in her pocket, checked to make sure nothing looked disturbed and closed the wardrobe. First obstacle down and about a hundred to go.

Beating feet back upstairs, the girl headed for her study and pulled out the laptop she used for online research. It had strict parental controls enabled, but those shouldn't stop her from getting to the website she needed.

Ah. Black cab. Perfect.

Smiling, Jezebel clicked on the online booking link and started inputting information. She carefully marked the indicator that the fare would be a child and checked the box confirming that she was said child's legal guardian. She didn't even pause at the blatant lie.

The credit card information went in next, with a confirmation for a twenty percent gratuity to be added to the fare. It sounded good and maybe the tip would keep the driver from asking too many questions.

That done, she closed the laptop and stuck the credit card in her pocket. She had fifteen minutes to figure a way off of Hellsing grounds and down the street to the empty house that she had listed as the pick up location.

Rising, she went to the windows and peered outside. She couldn't see the front gate from here, but she could picture the soldiers that guarded it. For the first time since coming to Hellsing, she felt a bit like a prisoner. The guards wouldn't let her pass just because she asked them to, but she had an idea for that.

Heading out the door, she took the back stairs down to the garden. She retrieved Dark's leash from the post beside the door and hurried down to the kennel to get the dog.

Dark jumped up against the gate to his run, tongue lolling out as soon as he saw her. He might have worn her out that afternoon, but apparently he had energy to spare. With a grin, Jezebel let him out, clipping the leash to his collar as he danced around her. Tugging on the leash, she headed for the front gate, only pausing for a moment to retrieve a stick from the yard.

She arrived just outside the pool of light from the front gate and assessed the situation. The guards wouldn't see her yet. Their primary objective was to keep strangers out, not necessarily to keep the residents in. Still, they would try to stop her and call Matheson if she tried to just saunter out the front.

Kneeling down, she hugged Dark and scratched him behind the ears. Lifting the stick, she let him sniff it. He made a grab for it and she pulled it away as his tail beat a rhythm against her back.

With a satisfied smile, Jezebel stood and waved the stick just to make sure she had the dog's attention. He wiggled and danced, eyes watching that stick like it was made out of bacon flavored rawhide. Cocking her arm back, Jezebel judged her angle and let fly, lobbing the stick neatly over the wall surrounding the Hellsing grounds.

Intelligent dog that he was, Dark dashed straight for the front entrance, knowing he couldn't get to the stick through the wall itself. The leash trailed behind him, kicking up leaves and dirt as he tore past the guards. Grinning, Jezebel took off after him.

One of the guards exclaimed in surprise as the dog raced past. Dark made a sharp turn, whipping his leash over the man's booted feet as he sprinted down the wall into the darkness. Jezebel followed close behind.

"Dark! Come back here, Dark!" She waved to the guards as she ran through the gate. "Silly dog must smell something. He got away from me. I'll get him."

"Need some help?" The right-hand guard smiled as he shot the question after her.

"No. He'll come to me best of all. I'll be back as soon as I catch him!"

She kept running as she called the words over her shoulder, wanting to be out of the front gate's pool of light before Dark did come back. He showed up, just as she got out of the range of the flood lights, stick wedged in his jaws and dancing like a loon.

"Good boy!" Jezebel stooped to collect the leash and take the stick from his mouth. She wasn't sure what she would do with him once the cab arrived. The best she could think of was to tie him at the empty house. She hated to do it, but the cab would only take service animals and she had nothing to make it look like Dark was any such creature. If she just let him go, he could get hurt or alert the Hellsing guards that something was wrong prematurely.

Seeing no other choice, she set out for the empty house at a jog. Now, she just had to hope no one missed her before the cab arrived. If she could just get in the taxi and head out, they wouldn't be able to stop her.

**A/N: I do believe Jezzie is really getting herself into trouble, this time. *grin***


	36. Great Escape 3: Definitive Proof

**Hey, hey, my wonderful readers! So good to see everyone again! I've been busy, lately. Writing like crazy, of course. Honestly, I'm thinking about moving this story to posting once a week so I can start putting some time into my original fiction. I'd really, really like to make some money off of my writing, eventually, and sadly, fanfiction cannot be sold without official sanction…which I don't have. *sad panda* Maybe after this story arc.**

**In the mean time, enjoy Jezzie getting herself into trouble. She seems to have a talent for it. *grin***

**Great Escape Chapter 3: Definitive Proof**

Jezebel wrapped Dark's leash around a metal post that made up a corner of the fence that surrounded the yard of the empty house. Threading the clasp through the hand loop, she clipped it to the dog's collar and wrapped her arms around him.

"Good boy, Dark. You're a good boy. I have to go in a minute, but I'll be back. I promise." She kissed him on the top of the head and stood up as a pair of headlights rounded the corner. Perfect timing.

Shoving the last of her trepidation down into a deep, dark corner of her mind, she trotted toward the headlights. The black car stopped, the yellow sign with the word 'taxi' glowing from the top of the car. Jezebel pulled the back door open and climbed inside.

A dark haired man with a strong five o'clock shadow gracing his jaw peered at her over the back of the front seat.

"You Jezzie Victoria?"

"Yes, sir," Jezebel said, keeping her voice even and respectful. The man looked down at a computer display set into the console of the car.

"Headed for 321 Eastchase Boulevard?"

"That's it." Ethan's house.

"Alright. Get you there in a moment."

The man flipped the overhead light off and Jezebel sighed with relief as he pulled away from the curb. The hardest part of her plan was a success. She hadn't been sure what she would do if the cab driver refused her fare.

Leaning back in the seat, Jezebel peered out of the window, watching street lights and dark buildings flash past. She knew she was going to get in trouble for this. Probably incredibly deep trouble, but she _had_ to know if Ethan was okay. If he was at home and fine, she would stay there until Matheson came to get her and she'd face her punishment with grace. If something had happened to him, she was calling Integra, hunt or no hunt.

They pulled up in front of a small house on a quiet residential street. The place was dark and there was no car in the driveway. At almost midnight, Jezebel was mostly certain that Ethan and his parents should be home.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" The driver frowned at her in the rear view mirror. "Doesn't look like anyone is home."

"It's right." Of course, she didn't know that for certain, but she couldn't tell him that. He might try to take her back to Hellsing. She reached for the door handle and pushed it open, hurrying to get out. "Thank-you!"

She slammed the door shut and walked up the driveway as though she belonged there. The taxi stayed at the curb for a few seconds and then pulled away. At least she didn't have to worry about that part of the plan anymore.

Jezebel walked under the carport and peered through the chain link fence into the backyard. It was obvious no one was home, and that, in and of itself, was strange, but was it enough to warrant calling Sir Integra during a hunt? No. She needed some definitive proof that they weren't just out late. She would have to get inside. Scowling, she went back to the side door and tried the knob. Locked. Well, it wasn't like she'd expected anything different.

Just because she would kick herself if she didn't check and it turned out to be open, she headed to the stairs beside the driveway and checked the front door. Also locked. Trotting back down the stairs, she turned and craned her head back to peer up at the second story windows. She'd never broken into a house before. With the doors locked, she wasn't sure how to get in. Maybe the windows. Unfortunately, the ground floor picture window wasn't designed to open. There weren't any windows on the ground floor at the sides of the house. What kind of house didn't have windows? Hellsing had them everywhere.

Sighing, Jezebel passed under the empty carport, back to the chain link fence in the back. The gate had a very obvious padlock on it, but the fence didn't seem that tall. Grabbing the links, she hooked a toe in one of the spaces and started climbing. In moments, she hopped down from the top of the fence and looked around the backyard.

Stairs led to a porch and sliding glass doors at the back of the house. Most of the yard was taken up by a vegetable garden and a massive tree grew in the right hand corner.

She checked the sliding glass doors but they didn't budge. A long, narrow window graced the back of the house, but it was easily six feet off the ground and didn't look like it opened either. Would she have to break the sliding glass doors to get in? She really didn't want to. Besides the noise it would make, she didn't want to break Ethan's house.

Clambering down the stairs, she turned to examine the back of the house, wishing she had more light. Her eyes landed on a pair of curious windows, low to the ground and to the right of the back porch. She cocked her head. Where did those lead?

It didn't matter. If they were unlocked, they were her ticket in.

Picking her way around the corner of the garden, she knelt next to the windows. One wouldn't budge, but the other rattled when she tried to open it. Maybe the pane was loose.

Glancing around to see if anyone had heard the rattle and come out to check on it, she grasped the wooden edge and shook the frame as much as she could in the socket. Something on the inside clattered and the window fell open.

She almost whooped with triumph but instead buried her grin in her shirt sleeve while she got a hold of herself. The space beyond the window gave back no light, as dark as a cave…or Alucard's room. That didn't bother her, but unlike Alucard's room, she didn't know what lay inside so she couldn't thread her way around obstacles.

Biting her lip, she pondered the issue and an idea popped into her head. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the cell phone. Pressing the button to activate it, she swiped her finger across the screen and winced as the light pierced her dark-adjusted eyes.

Turning the phone away to direct the light through the window, she examined the room beyond.

What was a ground level window on the outside turned out to be a ceiling level window on the inside. Suddenly grateful that she'd thought of the phone for light, she looked down to find several boxes stacked up against the wall. Would they hold her weight? Only one way to find out.

Turning so she could slide feet first through the window, Jezebel wriggled inside. She lay on her stomach, feeling for the boxes but she was too short. She wasn't going to be able to ease her weight onto them. No hope for it. She pushed herself backward and slipped down the wall, feet landing on the top box.

They must have contained something solid, like books, because the box only gave a little bit under her weight. Crouching down, she turned and shined the light from her phone around the room. It only illuminated for a few feet, but it did manage to reveal a plethora of dusty cardboard boxes. Going to hands and knees, Jezebel made her way over the top of them until she found their edge. What little she could see of the rest of the room seemed to be empty except for some machinery off to the right. A staircase on the left led to the upper floor and she realized if she had moved left from the windows instead of straight, she would have gotten to the stairs faster.

With a sigh, she scrambled down off the boxes and jogged across the concrete floor to mount the stairs. Nothing down here looked remotely helpful to her investigation.

The stairs came out next to the side entrance where the carport was. Shining her light on the wall, she spotted a switch and flipped it up. Light flooded the ground floor of the house, revealing a living room with couch and television, dining nook with a small table and chairs, and the archway into the kitchen. Nothing looked unusual or out of place, but she'd never been to Ethan's house. How would she know what was and wasn't out of place?

At the least, there was no blood, no dead bodies and it didn't look like anyone had broken in. Maybe they _were_ just out late. Really late.

No. Something was wrong. She knew it. She just had to find proof.

Moving out into the room, she glanced over the couch and entertainment center. Pictures lined the top of the wooden structure with a fake plant trailing ivy down the side. More pictures lined the walls, most of them featuring Ethan, with or without either parent, in various stages of growing up. Did Sir Integra have any pictures of her? None that she knew of. Did that bother her?

Shaking her head at the random, asinine question, she turned away from the living room to examine the kitchen and dining nook. Not much there, but at the back of the dining nook, she found another set of stairs. Climbing those, she found the bedrooms.

Four doors led off of the landing at the top of the stairs. The one directly in front of her stood open, revealing a bathtub and toilet. Nothing to find there.

The door immediately on her left was closed, but the one next to it stood open, a touch of moonlight shining in from the double windows. Stepping through the door, Jezebel hit the light switch and grinned. It had to be Ethan's room. A twin bed sat in the corner and Jezebel giggled at the Spiderman comforter that covered it. On the opposite wall, she spotted a chest of drawers and a small desk. Bits of quartz and polished stones decorated the top of the drawers and a stack of books and papers occupied the desk. One drawer in the bureau sat partway open. Everything else looked neat and tidy.

Frowning, Jezebel crossed the room and pulled the drawer open. A single white shirt lay on the bottom, neatly folded. Pushing that drawer closed, she opened the next one. Empty. The very top drawer held a single pair of socks with an obvious hole in the toe.

Scowling, the girl turned and spotted a closet door in the wall beyond the foot of the bed. She pulled it open and found two sweaters, a pair of trousers and a veritable forest of empty hangers. All of the clothes were gone.

She bit her lip and thought of the bathroom. One last thing to check. It looked like the bathroom would hold a clue after all. Dashing through the doors, she flipped the light switch. A toothbrush holder sat on the sink counter, empty. No hairbrush, no toothpaste. She pulled out the sink drawers and found alcohol, band aids, some old hair ties, but they seemed curiously empty. No toothpaste.

Who took their toothbrush and toothpaste on a normal night out?

Not sure whether to feel relieved or panicked, Jezebel dug in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She activated the screen and dialed Sir Integra. Holding the phone to her ear, she listened to it ring once, twice.

"Jezebel? What are you…"

"He's gone, Sir Integra! I'm at Ethan's house and most of his clothes are gone, no one is here, their car is gone. There's no _toothpaste_!"

"You're at…Jezebel, I think you need to give me a better explanation. Who is there with you?"

Jezebel bit her lip. This was where it could all go wrong. Integra could easily lose sight of the fact that Ethan was _missing_ in the light of her heir's misbehavior. How to phrase it?

"Jezebel."

The girl winced at Integra's warning tone.

"I'm here alone, but please, please, please listen to me. I got a call from Ethan while I was out playing with Dark, so I missed it. When I tried to call him back, he didn't answer, but then he texted me and I thought that was weird. I asked Matheson to drive me here, but he said it was too close to dinner time. I _did_ ask! So, I came here on my own and they're gone, Sir Integra. They're _gone_!"

"How did you…no. You can explain it later when you're safe at home. Stay there until Matheson comes to get you."

"Matheson?" Jezebel's voice squeaked on the name. He was going to be _furious_ with her. For a moment, fear washed through her, but then she frowned and straightened her back. She'd known she would get in trouble when she decided to steal Seras's credit card and leave Hellsing grounds. Her only defense was that Integra needed to know if Ethan and his family came up missing, and the sooner the better.

"Yes. Matheson. And you had best have a _damn_ good explanation for what you've done."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jezebel felt considerably subdued as Integra hung up. She'd heard the woman curse before, but rarely at herself. Maybe she was going to be in more trouble than she thought. But…she _had_ to know, and Matheson wouldn't help her and Integra _needed_ to know if Ethan went missing.

The roiling in her gut didn't feel convinced. Would it have really delayed things that much for her to wait for the hunt to be over? It wasn't like they'd call it off for this, anyway.

Feeling sick, Jezebel turned off the upstairs lights and trudged down to sit on the couch in the living room. She stared at the walls full of pictures and waited for her fate.

**A/N: Yep. Definitely in trouble. Integra is not happy. *grin***

***Sigh* I just spent the afternoon trying to design a floor plan for Hellsing. Oi…it's probably completely impossible to build. I'm no architect. Lol. Oh well. It's fiction, right? *grin* Interestingly enough, going by the size of the place, they probably would have the soldiers in the house itself. I think I've described them as having the barracks and stuff outside the house. Oh well. I tend to use floor plans a lot in my writing so I can map out what the characters are seeing. Ethan's house is based on a floor plan that I located online. :) For some reason, I love looking at floor plans. Heh.**


	37. Great Escape 4: Learning a Lesson

**Hello, my readers. Welcome to the next chapter of Formative Years. We're coming up on 200 reviews for this fic. Woot! That's so exciting for me. Posting fanfic like this is really the first time I've been able to get what I consider relatively unbiased opinions on my work. (Having your mom tell you it's great isn't the same. She's as biased as they come. Even friends have a vested interest in your happiness.)**

**That being said, I really value all of my reviews, especially those that let me know what I'm getting right as well as those that point out things that can be improved. I may not agree, but everyone's opinion is worthy of consideration.**

**To Rut: I'll have to post a response to your review here and hope you see it since it was a guest review. I found your information about architecture fascinating and insightful and I'd love to hear more and/or see an architect student's attempt at creating a floor plan for the Hellsing mansion. If you do make one, please, please let me know.**

**That being said, on with the next chapter! :D**

**Great Escape Chapter 4: Learning a Lesson**

Jezebel sat in the wood and leather chair in front of Integra's desk, her feet dangling half a foot above the floor. She stared down at the hands clasped in her lap, strands of blond hair hanging down around her face.

A small lamp lit the top of the desk and moonlight filtered through the sheer inner curtains covering the windows. No one else kept her company in the silent, cavernous room. Her stomach sent a growl of protest through the quiet. She had missed dinner and Matheson refused to bring her anything to eat while she waited for Integra to return from the hunt.

So be it. At least he had stopped to retrieve Dark when she had insisted. The butler hadn't verbally reprimanded her, but the narrow looks and cold demeanor were reprimand enough. She knew she had disappointed him, but in a way, he had disappointed her as well. If he had just _listened_ to her and driven her to Ethan's house when she asked, she wouldn't have had to go on her own.

Sighing, she leaned back in the chair and wondered how long it would take Integra to get home. If she wasn't going to get dinner, her empty stomach would be easier to bear if she went to sleep early. Perhaps this, too, was part of her punishment. It made sense.

Alucard showed up first, phasing through the office wall. She hadn't even stopped to wonder what he might think of her escapade. Would he be angry with her as well? _That_ thought actually sent a spurt of trepidation though her.

He wore his hat and glasses so she couldn't see his eyes. His normally expressive mouth sat in a flat, blank line. He crossed the room to look out the window as the door opened behind him and Integra walked in with Seras at her heels. Jezebel resisted the urge to hunch her shoulders. She would face her judgment with her back straight…but why did _all_ of them have to be there?

Integra moved behind her desk and sat. Leaning forward, she reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. Jezebel took a deep breath and fought the urge to stare at her knees.

"First of all, _how_ did you get to Ethan's house?" Integra didn't even open her eye, instead keeping her finger and thumb on the bridge of her nose.

"I took one of Seras's credit cards and ordered a taxi online."

"What?!" Seras's outraged question pierced the air as Jezebel dug in her pocket for the card and placed it on the desk. She'd never intended to keep it, after all.

Integra's hand dropped away from her nose and that single, brilliant blue eye opened to examine her heir and the card on the desk. Seras stalked over and snatched the card up, tucking it into a pocket on her uniform.

"And you used the dog to slip past the guards at the front. I've already received that report and they will be undergoing disciplinary action."

"What? But why?" Jezebel felt her stomach lurch. It was one thing to get herself in trouble, but for the guards to get in trouble because she had tricked them was just so unfair.

"Because what happened tonight should not have been possible. You have already been kidnapped off of Hellsing grounds once. It could happen again, and how much greater do you think that likelihood becomes when you leave Hellsing grounds alone?"

"I wouldn't have _been_ alone if Matheson had just _listened_ to me!"

"No! You will not blame your actions on someone else. _You_ chose to leave, by way of theft and trickery."

Jezebel glared at Integra, feeling wronged for the first time since she came to Hellsing. Matheson couldn't see what she'd had to do. She could accept that. The butler was incredibly blind sometimes, but for Integra to be just as blind… She felt betrayed.

"I had to do something! It's Ethan! He could be anywhere. What if the Vatican had broken into his house and killed him and his family?"

"Then you would have walked right into their hands!" Integra slammed a hand onto the top of the desk, emphasizing her point. "Matheson was right to make you wait for the hunt to end. It had to end before we could do anything about this, whether Ethan was missing or not."

Jezebel bit her lip and looked away, crossing her arms over her chest. It didn't help that Integra was echoing some of the thoughts that had already crossed her mind. Why hadn't she thought of that _before_ she'd left Hellsing? More than that, why couldn't Integra see that she couldn't just sit and twiddle her thumbs while her friend was potentially in danger? What if it was Alucard that suddenly went missing? or Seras? Would Integra just wait around for help to arrive?

And yet…that little voice in the back of her head had to whisper the logical point that Integra was an adult and accomplished at self defense. By nature, the rules were different for her. That just made her angrier and more determined to hold her ground. She wasn't a _baby_!

"Give me your phone." Integra held her hand out for the device and Jezebel blinked, her heart flip flopping.

"No! What if Ethan is able to get his phone and calls me?"

Integra narrowed her eye at her recalcitrant hair. This was the first time the girl had openly defied her and she wasn't completely sure what to do about it. If the child had been an employee, there would have been a write up for insubordination with termination of employment imminent if the behavior continued. She couldn't exactly do that with Jezebel. If it was one of the vampires…well, she had the seal for Alucard. Seras had never been an issue. She would have to wing it.

"Now. I will not argue with you on this."

With her heart racing in anger and trepidation, Jezebel dug into her pocket for the item. She really, really didn't want to hand it over, but what could she do? If Integra wouldn't listen, she couldn't force them to let her keep it.

Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes as she reached out with a trembling hand to set the phone in Integra's hand. She felt like she was losing Ethan…or betraying him. Without that phone, they might not have known he was missing until Monday. They should at least recognize that.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she sent an imploring look toward Alucard, but he wasn't even looking at her. He leaned against the wall, gazing out the window into the moonlit night. No help, there. Obviously, what she'd done was bad enough that he disapproved as well. That, more than anything, made her feel sick to her stomach.

Integra curled her fingers around the phone and sighed.

"You will go to your room and think about tonight. We will discuss this further when you've had some time to think."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jezebel slid off of the chair, head and shoulders drooping. She looked like the very picture of dejection as she crossed the office and left the room.

Integra glared down at the phone in her hand, shoulders slumped.

"Seras, keep an eye on her with your shadows. Tell me if she goes anywhere but her room."

"Yes, master." The blond vampire sounded sheepish, and well she might. After all, it was her credit card that the girl had used to call the taxi.

Integra reached for the phone on her desk and dialed up Gary Wilson, head of her IT department. A sleepy voice answered the phone.

"Yeah, boss?"

"I need you in my office, immediately."

"Err…what time…no. Never mind. Be there in a second, boss."

The line clicked off and Integra smoothed a thumb over the screen of the phone in her hand. Next to the window, Alucard moved, shifting so his back was to the wall and he could see his master.

"I seem to recall a certain twelve year old that bulled her way through the protests of the council of twelve and killed her own uncle to do what she knew to be right."

Integra glared up at the black haired vampire.

"I was never this reckless."

"Weren't you?" Alucard lifted an eyebrow. "The only difference that I see is that once your father passed away, there was no one that had the power to stop you from doing whatever you wished. Even Walter was your butler, with no power over you but what your respect for him provided."

"And if I'd had any less of a moral base, I would have been an unholy terror."

Alucard grinned, fangs bared, and spread his gloved hands as though she'd just proven his point for him.

"I believe, master, that I have heard you called that before…among other things."

Integra's hand tightened around the phone. This was different! Wasn't it?

"Think, master. When you were twelve, had this same situation happened to you, what would you have done?"

"I never had a close friend like Ethan, and Jezebel isn't twelve. She's ten."

"It's not like you to argue semantics, master."

Integra clenched her teeth and glared at the phone in her hand.

"I would have sent you after him."

"And if I was out on a hunt with the soldiers of Hellsing?"

"I would have been _with_ you."

Integra glared at her vampire. He lifted an eyebrow. She knew what he was getting at. She just didn't want to admit it because she would lose the argument if she did. Still…he had a point.

"Very well. I might have done something similar in her place, but it wouldn't make me right."

"A weapon is forged by fire and hammer against an unforgiving anvil. It is honed against the rough grain of the whetstone. A similar process made you into the leader and master that you are, Sir Integra Fairbrooke Wingates Hellsing. Can you expect Jezebel to become anything comparable if she is sheltered and coddled until the day you drop Hellsing and _me_ into her lap?"

Integra glared at her vampire as he gave her a low, mocking bow and melted through the floor of her office. Damn the infernal creature for having a point! But she couldn't leave Jezebel completely unguarded and free to traipse about the countryside on her own. Not with the number of enemies Hellsing had out there.

"Master? Can I say something?"

She'd almost forgotten that Seras was in the room. She gave the blond vampire a questioning look.

"I…I don't know what you were like before I joined Hellsing, but I know what you became. Jezzie is smart. Look at what she managed to accomplish tonight. It was wrong, but it was very, very smart. If…if she'd been on the hunt with us, she would have been where we could protect her and she could tell you immediately about Ethan's call. Technically, the same is true for when she was kidnapped. If she had been with us in Europe, they wouldn't have been able to take her."

"Seras, are you suggesting I bring a ten year old girl with me on vampire hunts?"

Seras bit her lip and looked away. Put that way, it seemed ridiculous, and yet, Jezebel was the heir to Hellsing. There was nothing _normal_ about that. Trying to raise her like an ordinary child seemed to be a recipe for disaster.

"Well…yes. I suppose I am. She has to learn sometime. She's already shown that she's smart and resourceful. I was thinking of her as a normal kid, but she's not. Master has a good point. If you treat her like a normal human child, she may grow into a normal human adult and the responsibilities that you handle so well would crush a normal human."

Integra's shoulders slumped. Damn it, they both had a point. As a teen, the consequences for _her_ screw ups had cost lives. Nothing had put her on the straight and narrow faster than having to tell the family of one of the Hellsing soldiers that their father, husband, brother or son had died because of a choice _she_ had made. She didn't want Jezebel to have to experience that, but what would she have become without it?

"It's a lot to put on a child's shoulders."

Seras nodded and smiled. "You're right, but unlike you, she'll have someone there to help her shoulder the burden. She's already been through a lot and come out the other side intact. A little strange and distant sometimes, but intact. She didn't even _try_ to lie about anything that happened tonight and she knew she was going to get in trouble. I could see it on her face."

"And when she didn't want to give up her phone, it wasn't for her own sake, but Ethan's." Integra nodded and a knot of worry seemed to unravel within her. "There will still be consequences for tonight, but you have a point and I will take it under consideration."

Seras smiled and nodded. That was the master she knew and loved. Sometimes rash and prone to fits of temper, but wise in her way with an inner strength and loyalty that no one could match.

**A/N: Heh. Integra's been lucky so far. Jezebel's escapades have been relatively mild and the consequences clear cut, but raising a child is not really that easy, especially one that will grow into an adult with the strength of will to control Alucard and run Hellsing. And now she's getting lessons from her vampires. Poor Integra. :)**


	38. Great Escape 5: Zurich

**So, with the posting of this chapter, Formative Years is officially what I consider novel length…at or more than 86k words. And I haven't quite completed a single year of Jezzie's life at Hellsing. Wow. Just…wow. I honestly never intended to make it this long. O.o**

**Not that I intend to stop any time soon, but it looks like this story is going to easily move into the six digits on words. Heh. I never thought I'd be one of *those* fanfic writers. Lol. Shows what I know. I'm just glad so many people are enjoying it. :)**

**Great Escape Chapter 5: Zurich**

Integra knocked on the door and heard a stuffy 'come in' from the other side. Balancing the tray on her hand, she turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Jezebel lay curled on her bed, a virtual nest formed out of the pillows, blankets and sheets in the middle of the mattress. The girl sniffled and rubbed the tears from her red eyes as Integra came into the room. Integra felt a tug at her heart, seeing the child cry. Jezebel rarely cried and never over anything frivolous. The head of Hellsing suspected that had been beaten out of her at the abbey.

Nudging the door closed with a shoulder, the woman crossed the room and set the tray down on the bed. It held a grilled cheese sandwich and a small salad. Jezebel blinked at it.

"I thought I wasn't getting any dinner."

Integra sat on the edge of the bed and shrugged.

"You're enough like me that making you go without dinner will only make you hungry."

Jezebel didn't respond, not sure what to say. She glanced up once with a flash of anger and then looked back down at her blankets, picking at a loose string.

"What were you crying about?"

The answer to the question might seem obvious, but Alucard had made her think of her own childhood and she remembered that the few times she could recall crying, all of the adults around her had always made erroneous assumptions about the reason for the tears.

Jezebel almost tried to claim that she hadn't been crying, but realized that was dumb. The evidence of her tears was writ in the red lines that marked her eyes and the liquid that dripped from her nose. She sniffled and sighed.

"I'm worried about Ethan. He's _missing_! And…and I'm angry. No one will listen to me."

She lifted her eyes to glare at Integra. She didn't expect the woman to understand. She hadn't understood during their conversation in the office. Why would she, now?

"Have you thought about what we discussed?"

"Yes!" Jezebel snapped the word out. She didn't care if it angered Integra. They could be angry together.

"And?"

Damn the woman and her cold countenance. Where was the temper she was known for? Did she even _care_ that Ethan was missing? Were they doing anything about it?

"And I _had_ to know! Matheson wouldn't take me. I couldn't call you or Alu without proof something was wrong. What else was I supposed to do?! I couldn't just wait! I would have gone _crazy_ with worry!"

To Jezebel's surprise, Integra nodded with understanding.

"I can see your dilemma," she said. Jezebel blinked, mouth opening in shock.

"You…you can?"

"Yes. Now, can you see mine? My heir, my _only_ heir, left the safety of Hellsing grounds tonight, alone and with no one to protect her. She has already been kidnapped and almost killed once, and that was _without_ leaving Hellsing grounds. Although she is training for self defense, it takes time to master and she is not ready to defend herself alone, yet. She could have _died_, but doesn't understand the danger her choices could have put her in."

Jezebel frowned and looked away, the anger draining out of her. Put that way…it was like _she_ was to Integra what Ethan was to her. Would she have called Ethan an idiot if he'd done what she did tonight? Maybe. And yet, even that wasn't the same. Ethan could do things she couldn't.

"I…I can understand that." Jezebel went back to picking at the loose thread in her blanket. "I thought about it, later. That going before you got home from the hunt wouldn't really hurry anything up, but I didn't think about it until _after_ I had gone. By then, it was too late."

"If you had it to do over again, what would you do?"

Jezebel bit her lip.

"I don't know. I still wouldn't want to wait. I might…I might call you without proof, even on a hunt."

Integra sighed but nodded.

"For your own safety, that would have been a better choice." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a familiar cell phone. Jezebel's eyes grew wide as she set it on the bed. "This will receive calls, but it will only dial four numbers without a pass code. Mine, Alucard's, Seras's and the main Hellsing line for Matheson. Your phone privileges with Ethan will be suspended for a month once he is back. You'll also be grounded from the Thursday outings for a month."

Jezebel sucked her breath in, eyes going wide. That was pretty stiff, but in a way, it served to drive home just how much Integra valued her life and safety. Taking a deep breath, she nodded her acceptance. She didn't _like_ it, but she could accept it.

"What about Ethan? He's still missing."

Integra nodded at the tray on the bed.

"Eat your dinner. We're tracing the GPS chip in his phone, now. Once you're done eating, we're leaving to go after him."

"We?"

"Yes, we. Alucard, Seras, myself and you."

Eyes wide, Jezebel lunged for the tray, stuffing the food down her gullet as fast as she could chew and swallow. She didn't know why she was being allowed to accompany them, but she would show her thanks by doing everything she was told, as soon as they told her.

V^^^V

Ethan trudged after his parents, shoulders drooping. His mom exclaimed over the view of Lake Zurich, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Sure, it might be pretty, and if they were on a real vacation, he would undoubtedly love it, but they weren't and he just didn't care.

A man waited for them outside the train station, a smile on his face. The sun reflected off of the breeze-ruffled waves of the lake behind him.

"Uncle Henri!" Ethan's mom rushed toward the man, arms open wide and a smile plastered on her face. Ethan had only met his great uncle a couple of times, but he would recognize that narrow face, hooked nose and hooded brow anywhere. As a child, more than one imaginary villain in his games had worn the man's face, but Uncle Henri had never been anything but kind to him.

"George! Abigail! So good to see you! And little Ethan. Well, not so little anymore, eh?" Uncle Henri smiled down at his grand nephew and Ethan did his best to summon a tremulous smile in return. He just didn't have much enthusiasm to put into it. "Well, let us get you home, safe and sound, then you can tell your Uncle Henri all about it, yes?"

"That sounds wonderful, Uncle Henri."

A taxi waited for them on the street outside the station, its driver giving the meter a pointed look. They piled their suitcases into the trunk and had to carry a couple of bags on their laps. Ethan ended up wedged in the middle of the back seat between his mom and dad with Uncle Henri in the front passenger seat.

Zurich rolled by them as the driver made his way through the narrow streets of the city. The buildings seemed to be a curious mix of ancient and modern, clean and grungy. People crowded the sidewalks and rails for the trolley system took up a good half of the streets.

Ethan slumped in his seat, wondering what Jezebel was doing. Had she figured out what had happened? Were they looking for him yet? Maybe he should stop trying to figure out how to escape and just wait for Hellsing to come get him. Surely they'd show up soon, right?

"I have someone I want you to meet when we get home," said Uncle Henri over his shoulder. "I've told him what little you were able to give me over the phone and I think he may be able to help."

"Really?"

Why did his mom have to sound so hopeful? None of this was necessary, but he'd finally given up on trying to convince her.

The taxi carried them around the Southern shore of Lake Zurich, down pockmarked streets and cobbled avenues. Ethan wondered how Hellsing would find him. Should he try to call Jezebel's phone at some point? Sure, he'd be in awful trouble if he got caught, but it would be worth it. Who was this person that Uncle Henri said could help them?

They pulled up in front of a large, white house with a sprawling yard and trees lining the back fences. A low wooden fence separated the front yard from the sidewalk that lined the street.

Uncle Henri paid for the taxi while Ethan and his parents collected their luggage from the trunk. The breeze rolling off the lake smelled fishy and cold, if cold could be said to have a smell. Ethan wrinkled his nose, not sure he liked it.

"Ethan, get your suitcase."

He sighed and turned to retrieve the item. His mom gave him a sour look at his dejected attitude but he refused to put a good face on things. He didn't want to be here and he wasn't about to pretend otherwise.

Uncle Henri led the way through a small gate in the fence and up the path to the sprawling front porch. After their tiny house on the outskirts of London, this villa looked amazing.

"I hope you don't mind, but I had my friend wait for us here while I went to pick you up." Uncle Henri pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the front door. "He is most anxious to meet you."

Ethan frowned as the door swung open. Something didn't feel right. What, exactly, had his mom told Uncle Henri? Who would be so very interested in them?

"Mom, are you sure this is okay? I don't think…"

His words trailed off as the front door swung open. Not one man, but three waited for them inside, clothed in black from the neck down, a white rectangle at their throats. Each of them wore a cross on a long chain around their necks. Ethan stopped dead at the sight of them.

"Father Michel, I didn't realize you had invited more guests."

Uncle Henri sounded genuinely surprised. Maybe he didn't realize who these men were or why they might be interested in Ethan and his family. Ethan's brain kicked into high gear. They had to get away from here! But neither of his parents would _listen_ to him.

Be logical. Think! Of the three of them, Ethan knew he was the only one that knew anything about Hellsing that the Vatican might be interested in. He hated to leave his parents behind, but he had to keep himself out of the hands of these very men.

The man on the left rose to his feet, a smile stretching his lips. He had blond hair that hung in tendrils in the front and a nasty scar that ran in a line over his right eye. How the injury had missed the eye itself was anyone's guess.

"You must be Ethan," he said, directing that creepy smile at the boy. "My name is Father Makube and I've heard so much about you."

"I just bet you have," Ethan snarled as he dropped his suitcase and the duffel bag he was carrying. "I'm sorry, Mom!" With no more warning than that, he grabbed for the strap of her purse, sliding it off her arm before she could react. He knew there was cash in there, but more importantly, it held their passports. _All_ of their passports. With it, he could get away and maybe the Vatican priests wouldn't be able to take his parents out of Switzerland for a while.

Tucking the purse under his arm, Ethan turned and sprinted for the street. Where he had felt like he couldn't use his preternatural speed before, he knew that _this_ situation warranted it. He couldn't allow himself to fall into the Vatican's hands. Hopefully, Sir Integra would understand.

"Ethan!" His mom's shocked and outraged voice made him wince as he cleared the fence in the front and took off down the street.

"Stop him! Don't let him get away!" Father Makube's order sent the other two priests chasing after him, but they didn't have a prayer of catching him. With Alucard's blood coursing through him, he quickly outdistanced the Vatican priests and lost himself in the streets of Zurich.

**A/N: See? Integra isn't a total harridan. *wink***


	39. Great Escape 6: Traveling Alone

**First, I would like to thank Blackdraumdancer for answering some Europe-related questions for me that helped to make this chapter more accurate. Any mistakes in this chapter are purely my own fault and not hers.**

**I loved the feedback I got on Ethan, last chapter. It's awesome to see readers as enthusiastic about my characters as I am. That's very exciting. As always, thank you all for the wonderful reviews, and on with the next chapter. :)**

**The Great Escape Ch. 6: Traveling Alone**

Integra frowned at the computer screen in her lap. The GPS chip had stopped moving in Zurich, Switzerland. Of course, the question was whether the phone that contained the chip was still with the people they were looking for. Unfortunately, it was the only lead they had at the moment.

A soft snore made her lift her head and smile. Alucard sat on the couch-like bench that ran the length of one side of the charter jet. His head tilted forward, wide-brimmed fedora hiding his features as he dozed. Jezebel lay on the couch beside him, head pillowed on his thigh. He had tossed a fold of his duster over her like a blanket and one white gloved hand rested on her shoulder. The snore had come from the human girl. Vampires made no noise when they slept.

Seras's coffin took up the rest of the couch. Alucard's was tucked away in the cargo hold. While he could do without his for a few days, provided he didn't sustain any major injuries, Seras needed hers every day. Of course, if she wasn't so very picky about the blood she consumed, she might be able to go for a couple of days without it, but though she drank regularly, she was rather selective.

Integra turned back to the computer, the smile still curving her lips. They would land in Zurich soon and hopefully they would be able to retrieve Ethan and his parents with little difficulty.

V^^^V

Father Makube scowled at the woman sitting on the couch, her face buried in her hands. Her husband sat next to her, trying to comfort her. Henri sat on her other side, rubbing her back and occasionally glancing up at the three priests congregated near the door. Useless, the lot of them. They knew nothing and the boy had escaped.

"We must find him. After Heinkel's failure, we'll never reach the girl. They'll be watching her too closely, but that boy…he holds promise."

"But how can we find him? One boy lost in the streets of Zurich? Impossible." Father Sebastien wrung his hands together, glancing nervously over at the crying woman. Makube narrowed his eyes at the faithless man.

"All things are possible through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Do you doubt?"

"N…no!" Sebastien's eyes came suddenly back to his superior, his eyes wide. For a man of his position, faith was everything. If anyone doubted his faith, he could lose his comfortable position as the head of his parish.

"Good. Contact the Zurich police and give them the boy's description. Tell them he is a mentally disturbed delinquent that has run away and we need to retrieve him for his own safety and that of others. See if the man has a photograph that we can provide. It will help. I will contact Rome and have them send back up."

"Yes, father."

Sebastien hurried over to the man on the couch and Makube turned to Michel.

"Offer them whatever help they need. I want them to know that the Vatican is here for them and will help them find their son."

The priest frowned, looking uneasy. Makube gritted his teeth. He hated dealing with men outside of Iscariot. They never understood the ultimate goal, always concerned about such trivialities as lies and deceit. If the Lord's work must be accomplished via the devil's methods, so be it. His will be done.

"Are you certain we should tell the police that the boy is mentally disturbed? They might hurt him."

"Are they likely to kill him?"

"Well…no."

"Then it will be fine. Go. Take care of your sheep, shepherd. I will see to the finer details."

"Err…yes, father."

V^^^V

Ethan glanced over his shoulder as he scrambled down the rocks lining a public pier on Lake Zurich. No one seemed to be watching him, so he ducked under the edge of a dock and wedged himself up in the damp shadows under the wooden planks.

His heart pounded, making the blood rush in his ears. He'd spent the entire run waiting for someone to accuse him of purse snatching and chase him down. Anyone on the streets could be a Vatican operative and his heart leapt up into his throat every time someone looked at him for more than a couple of seconds.

His mom was going to _kill_ him!

So be it. He'd done what he had to. Reaching under his shirt, he pulled the purse out from where he'd stuffed it. A pang of guilt hit him in the gut as he unzipped it. He'd been taught from an early age that he _did not_ go through a woman's purse, even and especially, his mom's. He couldn't worry about that now, though, so he squelched the feeling and started rummaging through the interior.

Car keys, make-up, lip balm, a cell phone, but not his. Still, it might be useful. He pulled it out and set it aside. There were the passports. Bottles of painkillers, packets of cold medicine, a couple of prescription bottles, some vitamins. What was acidophilus? With a shrug, he pushed the bottle aside and kept digging. Pens and a small notebook. What all did she keep in here? And where was her wallet? Maybe in the inner zipper pocket? He pulled that open and blinked. Ew. Never mind. He zipped it closed again as fast as he could, trying not to remember his dad's broken explanation for what those things were when he'd seen them in the bathroom cabinet at home and had asked.

Swearing to never, ever go through any girl's purse again, he checked the front zipper pocket, almost afraid of what he would find. There! Wallet. That didn't look like the money he was used to, though. Maybe they were euros? That would make his life easier if his mom had already exchanged the cash for stuff the locals would take…assuming they took euros. Was Switzerland part of the European Union? He couldn't remember and he didn't like the idea of trying to walk into a bank to exchange money. They might call the police on him. There were the credit cards, of course, but he didn't know the PIN number, and couldn't the bank trace the transactions? Not good. He'd just have to hope they took euros at the train station.

One more cursory look through the bag confirmed that _his_ phone wasn't in there. Well, maybe it was too much to ask for. He did have his mom's phone and he had Jezzie's number memorized.

Picking up the phone, he pressed the button to activate it and cursed under his breath. She had it password protected. Tapping a finger against his knee, he keyed in her birthday, month and day. No luck. His birthday and his dad's didn't work, either. Next, he tried their birth years. After the third one, the phone displayed a message telling him he would have to wait sixty seconds before trying again.

Grumbling under his breath, he stuffed the phone back in the purse. If he kept trying, he'd just lock the thing permanently. Well, so much for that idea. Back to plan A, finding his way back to the train station. Maybe he could ask to borrow someone's phone.

Stuffing everything back in the purse, Ethan slung it over his shoulder like it belonged to him. Who cared if it looked girly? Better to look a little fruity than like a suspicious purse snatcher.

He worked his way back out of the shadows and made his way up to the sidewalk, joining the crowd and trying to blend in. With a purse on his shoulder. Oh, whatever. Now, how to get back to the train station… If he recalled correctly, he had quite a walk in front of him. Maybe he could catch a taxi. Well…that assumed they took euros, which he still didn't know about.

Maybe he should ask someone. He could say he was a tourist. A lost and confused _twelve_ year old tourist. No. Anyone he asked would probably ask about his parents and he'd either have to lie, which he particularly sucked at, or make a run for it, which would make him look even more suspicious. No, he'd have to hoof it to really play it safe.

With a sigh, he looked out at the lake, remembering that the train station sat at the part that curved like a horse shoe in the distance. Spotting the curve of land to his left, he turned and started heading in that direction, wondering if the Zurich bus system might take euros.

V^^^V

Ethan stared up at the massive glass building and swallowed hard. His feet hurt and his shoulders twitched, taut from imagined eyes staring at his back. No one had given him a second look as he trudged through the streets of the metropolitan city, but he kept expecting someone to shout at him to stop.

His mom's purse sat on his hip, hooked over his head with the strap resting on the opposite shoulder. Although it wasn't particularly heavy, his shoulder had begun to ache after about an hour. Maybe the walking had done it.

No matter. With two stops for directions, he'd found the station, although he hadn't dared to ask anyone to borrow a phone. Oh well. He had accomplished one goal, at least. Taking a deep breath, he mounted the steps and headed through the glass doors.

The place looked like a stylized greenhouse, only bigger. Much bigger. Concrete pillars held up a roof of glass panes that arched four or five stories over his head. Small kiosks dotted the open space, selling everything from scented soap to jewelry. On the left hand side, he spotted what must be the ticket counter. The bulk of it looked like a bank of ATMs with a couple of actual, human booking clerks behind plexiglass windows at the end.

Biting his lip, Ethan glanced around. A security guard watched him with narrowed eyes and he jerked guiltily. He couldn't just stand there. Despite the kiosks, this wasn't a mall and he looked suspicious enough, a lone preteen entering a train station with a purse on his shoulder.

Shrugging the strap of the purse off of his neck and back onto his shoulder, he hurried across the room to the line for the human clerks. The line only consisted of a couple of people and one of the employees behind the windows appeared to be packing up for the day. Maybe he had just missed a rush hour. Well, that couldn't hurt.

As he waited behind a couple that seemed more interested in each other than their place in line, he noticed the security guard that had given him the evil eye lift a walkie talkie and speak into it. He might not have noticed except that the man was still watching him as he spoke into the device.

One of the clerks called for the next in line, or he thought that's what they said since they spoke German, a language he had very little familiarity with. The couple moved toward the window and Ethan stepped forward, trying to look inconspicuous but no doubt failing miserably. He could feel the guard's eyes on him, like an arrow between his shoulder blades.

A little old lady moved away from one of the windows and the clerk said something in German, giving him an expectant look. With a surreptitious glance at the guard, he hurried over to the window.

"Umm…English?" he asked in a hopeful voice. The clerk narrowed his eyes at Ethan, taking in his height and apparent youth. The boy held his breath, hoping the man wouldn't question him.

"Yes. I speak Englisch."

Ethan blinked. He could hear the German accent in the words, but had no trouble understanding the man. He sighed with relief.

"Do you take euros?"

"Yes."

Even better.

"When is the next train to London?"

"Eujrostar…" The man turned to his computer monitor and typed a search in. He scrolled through what he had pulled up. "Three hours."

How did he roll his r's like that? Never mind. Ethan glanced over his shoulder. A second guard had joined the first. The new guy had what looked like a smart phone in his hand. He scowled at it, looked up at Ethan and then back down at the device.

"Where's the next train that's leaving going?" He turned back to the clerk, trying to keep from looking desperate. The man gave him a suspicious frown, then shrugged and typed a search into the computer.

"Wienna, through Munich."

Austria. Wrong direction. Ethan glanced over his shoulder again. A policeman had joined the guards and was talking to them. They might not be talking about him, but he couldn't take that chance. He had to get away from Zurich.

"I'll take that one."

The clerk scowled and Ethan feared he wouldn't sell him the ticket. He pulled the purse open and took out a handful of euros, placing them on the counter. The man sighed and took the money, entering the information into his computer.

A couple of minutes later, ticket and change in hand, Ethan hurried toward the trains. For just a moment, the guards and policeman had looked away, distracted by a woman shouting at the man with her. Ethan ducked behind a wall of lockers and wormed his way through the swiftly thinning crowd toward his train.

The light for final boarding blinked on and he slipped through the doors. His ticket was for second class and he made his way down the aisle to the correct car.

Finding a seat, he plopped down just as the train started moving. Through the window, he spotted the policeman talking to the clerk he'd bought his ticket from. His back tingled as he waited for the train to screech to a stop, but it didn't and he barely glimpsed the clerk pointing in his direction before everything slid behind the walls of the train station and they shot out onto the bridge that crossed the Limmat River.

His ticket was for Vienna, but maybe he would get off in Munich. That would muddle his trail and he could get a train that would take him further north in Germany and then double back toward France and the Chunnel. If he was lucky, someone would let him borrow a phone, too.


	40. Great Escape 7: Fetching the Sumners

**Ugh…I think I may have done a poor job on editing this chapter. If so, I apologize. I've been sick all week and the meds I'm taking to manage it make me a little spacey. Not getting much writing done, either. *sad face* This is why I like being ahead in chapters. Heh.**

**Thank you to everyone that reviews. The reviews still make my day, especially when I'm sick. Love you all! Enjoy the next chapter.**

**The Great Escape Ch. 7: Fetching the Sumners**

The private charter jet touched down on the tarmac of the Zurich airport and taxied toward the private hangars. The last rays of the setting sun lit the western sky a brilliant rainbow of reds, oranges and yellows, fading to deep blue on the eastern horizon. A car waited for the jet's occupants outside the hangar, the keys in the ignition.

Integra unbuckled her seat belt as soon as the jet came to a full stop. Jezebel wriggled out of her own seat, making a face at the restraints.

"I like the train better."

She didn't seem to expect an answer so Integra didn't give her one. Alucard lifted the lid of Seras's coffin to wake her. He'd woken up when Integra had made Jezebel move from the couch to the seat for landing. Three Hellsing soldiers appeared from the back of the plane. Integra handed the bag containing her laptop and the GPS tracking equipment to the soldier in front, Simmons.

"Simmons, you're with us. Baker and Miles, you will unload the coffins and establish a field camp in the hangar. The squad should be arriving before midnight. Make sure the jet is refueled and be ready to move if necessary."

The men saluted Integra's orders and Simmons slipped the strap for the bag she'd handed him over his shoulder. Seras sat up in her coffin and yawned, stretching.

"Is it sunset already, master?"

"Very nearly, Seras." Integra turned and made her way toward the exit to the jet, Jezebel falling into step behind her. Seras levered herself out of the coffin with considerably less grace than Alucard was capable of, and managed to flash the Hellsing soldiers as she did so. Miles blinked, his jaw dropping a touch and his eyes glazed over ever so slightly as she steadied herself against the edge of the coffin. Baker nudged him, making him stumble.

"Eyes on the assignment, rookie. You only look at her like that if she wants you to or you don't last long around here."

Seras smiled her gratitude at Baker. Sometimes, it took a while to break in the new soldiers. Alucard ignored them as he followed after _his_ master. Instead of using the steps, he phased through the side of the jet. Seras shook her head and sighed.

"Show off."

On the other side of the jet wall, an impish grin graced the vampire's face below his orange tinted spectacles.

Integra crossed the tarmac to slide into the back of the car waiting for them. Jezebel sat next to her in the middle of the backseat with Alucard on the girl's other side. Seras took the front passenger seat and accepted the GPS equipment from Simmons as he took his place behind the steering wheel and turned the key.

Seras examined the equipment as they pulled away from the hangar and gave instructions while they drove through Zurich in pursuit of the signal from Ethan's cell phone.

"Alucard, you will not resort to violence unless we are offered violence," Integra said, giving her vampire a gimlet stare. "I am releasing you to level three for the duration of this mission, until Ethan has been retrieved. Your priority is to protect Jezebel, followed by mesmerizing Ethan's parents when we find them and retrieving Ethan unharmed. Do you understand?"

"Yes, master," he said, looking down at Jezebel with an anticipatory grin.

V^^^V

Father Makube paced in the front room of Uncle Henri's house, a phone pressed to his ear. Father Michel had convinced the Sumners and the old man that some refreshment would help restore and distract them while Makube worked on finding Ethan. At least the man had gotten the imbeciles out of his hair.

"Do _not_ assume he is going to stay on that train until its destination. I want a pair of priests waiting in every major station between here and Vienna."

"Ah, yes, sir. We will see to it."

The priest ended the call and glared toward the back of the house, where the Sumners were enjoying lemonade and sliced cheese and salami. He thought about pursuing the boy, himself, but knew he needed to stay here. He, alone, couldn't do more than the men under his command. He was no Anderson, to travel great distances through the holy arcane powers the paladin had wielded.

He barely remembered the paladin, but the loss of the powerful priest still resonated through the ranks of Iscariot. They had considered the loss worth it, so long as the powerful Alucard had been decimated…and then Hellsing's pet monster had reappeared. Truly, the devil himself ruled on Earth for such injustices to hold sway.

Well, they would find a way to fix that. He'd made it his life's work, especially now that Heinkel, the last Iscariot left that remembered the famous battle in London, had gotten himself eliminated.

Slipping the phone into a pocket hidden in the folds of his cassock, the priest reached out to pull the curtains over the front window to the side. Night had fallen and distant streetlights filtered through the branches of the trees in the front yard. Thinking of the Hellsing vampires, the priest touched the cross strung on a long chain around his neck. Its presence renewed his confidence.

He began to turn away from the window when a pair of headlights coming down the street caught his attention. They slowed as they neared the house and he turned back to the window with a frown on his face.

The car passed by the front of the house and paused at the corner before turning onto the street that ran beside the house. Makube frowned. Were they just passing by?

Something moved in the darkness, black on black, but some fold of cloth or bit of glass caught a distant glimmer of light and it _moved_. Scowling, the priest dropped the curtain and moved toward the back of the house.

They had to leave. He was no fighter to combat the powers that Hellsing could bring to bear. His strength lay in his brain and cunning. Michel was nothing more than a local priest and Sebastien was a bureaucrat to the core. None of them could face Hellsing and survive it. He didn't know how the infernal organization had found them, but he could think of nothing else that would explain the furtive movements in the front yard.

"Come. We must leave this place immediately." Five sets of eyes blinked at him like deer caught in a car's headlights. He had a sudden urge to start strangling one of them and see if that made them react more quickly. "_Now_! We must go!"

Not waiting for them to react, he hurried past them toward the back door. He reached for the knob and paused, reminding himself that if Hellsing _had_ found them, there would be vampires out there.

Carefully, he peeked through the small window at the top of the door. A figure lounged against the railing of the back porch, the color of his hat and duster lost in the shadows of the night, but clearly visible against the pitch darkness behind him.

Not that one. They'd never make it.

"Through the front." He turned and headed back into the front room. Henri, the Sumners and his two priests gave him wide, frightened eyes. None of them would understand why he was so nervous. Well, the Sumners might. After all, this was exactly what they were fleeing from.

Makube didn't wait for the others to follow as he pulled the front door open. He blinked as the barrel of a Sig-Sauer p226 centered on his forehead and a single, brilliant blue eye narrowed on him from the other side of the sights. A slow smile spread across the woman's face, bracketed by locks of long, straight blond hair.

"Why, chief Makube, how nice to see you again. It's been far too long." He didn't miss the sarcasm in Integra Hellsing's voice. "If you would be so kind as to step back?"

Narrowing his eyes in anger, the priest did as she requested. A man followed at her back, dressed in military fatigues with a newer SIG pistol in his hand. Behind Makube, Mrs. Sumner gasped.

"No! Impossible! How could you find us, you infernal woman?" Mrs. Sumner marched forward, hands clenched in fists at her sides, every line of her body bent in an angry, aggressive stance. Makube's eyebrows rose. He'd thought Ethan's mother was little more than a mouse, but the way she advanced on the head of Hellsing, despite the gun the woman held, forced him to extend a modicum of respect to her.

Integra turned her attention to Mrs. Sumner.

"We have our ways. Where is Ethan?"

"You'll never find him!"

Integra sighed and looked behind Mrs. Sumner. She knew better than to insist. She might as well question a brick wall. She might get more answers out of the wall, actually.

"Who owns this home?"

"Don't answer her," Mrs. Sumner said with an authoritarian tone.

The older man behind Ethan's mother closed his mouth from where he'd opened it to volunteer the information. Integra's eye locked onto him.

"I would prefer to end this without bloodshed. Please invite my friends, Seras and Alucard in."

"Don't do it," Makube said, his eyes narrowing. He'd almost forgotten a vampire's restriction from entering a home uninvited. "Listen to yourself, Integra Hellsing. You profess yourself a Christian, but you make demands with the threat of bloodshed."

Integra chuckled as her eye shifted back to Makube.

"That would be the pot calling the kettle black, Chief Makube, unless you've retired from Iscariot and chosen to pursue more wholesome goals." The look on her face made it clear that she wouldn't believe him if he did claim such a thing. "A bullet knows no boundary restrictions. I ask for the invitation to prevent bloodshed in more ways than one."

Makube felt that sinking sensation that told him the blood had drained from his face, but he grit his teeth and held his ground. He hadn't gotten the scar over his eye through cowardice.

"You truly are a heartless ice queen, aren't you?"

Integra lifted an eyebrow at him with a bored look on her face. She'd heard worse. She lowered the gun from pointing at his forehead and for a moment, he thought he'd somehow convinced her to stand down. A blast ripped through the house as she pulled the trigger and a searing pain ripped through his right foot.

A curse escaped his mouth and he crumpled to one knee, looking down to find a neat hole punched through the toe of his shoe. The pain radiating up his leg felt like it belonged to an exponentially larger amount of damage.

"Please come in, err…what were their names again?" Uncle Henri's voice sounded breathy and panicked.

"No! Don't give in!" Mrs. Sumner whirled on her uncle, rage written across her features. Henri ignored her, his eyes stretched wide with fear.

"Seras and Alucard."

"Please come in, Seras and Alucard."

A dark chuckle drifted in from the back of the house as Seras stepped through the front door, an assault rifle in her hands. Makube recognized her from his run in with the vampire at Hellsing almost three years ago. She looked so innocent, if you ignored the massive gun in her hands.

The back door opened and closed in the other room. Makube frowned. They'd already heard that monstrous chuckle _inside_ the house. Who had come through the door?

He turned to see the red hat and duster of the Hellsing monstrosity framed by the archway that led into the dining room and kitchen. A manic grin stretched across his face, his trademark orange spectacles hiding his eyes. A small girl peeked out from behind him.

Makube's eyebrows rose. Were they mad? It could work to his advantage that they had brought the Hellsing heir, but they had to be insane to put her in the line of fire.

"We didn't come to kill," Integra said, lifting the gun to line it up with Makube's temple, "but we will do what is necessary."

Mrs. Sumner turned and her eyes grew wide. Where she'd been strong in the face of a woman wielding a gun, fear slid across her features at the sight of the man clad in red. At least she knew enough to recognize the greatest threat in the room.

Alucard's grin widened, revealing his fangs and he glided across the room as Seras and the Hellsing soldier moved so they could cover the other people in the room. Jezebel followed him like a tiny shadow, the hem of his duster brushing against her legs.

"Mrs. Sumner, it has been a long time. Too long." The creature reached up and pulled the spectacles from the bridge of his nose. Glowing scarlet eyes flared and Mrs. Sumner's eyes glazed over.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Sumner scowled, stepping toward his wife.

"As I said, only what is necessary," Integra said as Alucard shifted his gaze to the man. Mr. Sumner fell under his spell in moments.

"You will go outside and wait on the porch."

The man turned, eyes still empty, and walked past Integra and Seras to the open door.

"What are you doing to them?" Henri's frightened voice broke the tense silence. Integra gave him a look that almost softened into sympathy.

"We're bringing them home. We mean them no harm."

"You expect us to believe that when you take them away at gun point?" Integra shifted her gaze to Father Michel. Any sympathy she might have felt for Henri drained out of her face in an eye blink.

"I don't give a damn what you believe. You are nothing more than a pawn. Play your part. Here, you tread in waters far over your head, and we have sharks." She smirked, that one eye narrowed and butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

Alucard chuckled and turned back to Mrs. Sumner. He captured her eyes again.

"Where is Ethan?"

"He ran away." Her voice sounded flat and empty. "He ran when he saw the priests."

Alucard glanced up at Integra whose lips curled with an approving smile. She nodded and he looked back at Mrs. Sumner.

"You will come with Hellsing back to England. You will do it without fear or complaint."

"I will go back to England."

She turned and looked at Integra, waiting for them to leave. The woman nodded and looked at Henri.

"I would advise you to be careful in your dealings with the Vatican, if I thought it would do any good. I give you my assurance that Hellsing means no harm to your family. I may threaten and I may shed blood, but I do not lie." Integra looked back at Makube. "I know you're still plotting against Hellsing. You've seen what comes of that."

She saluted him with the hand that held the gun and turned to follow the Sumners out the door. Alucard walked past the others, Jezebel clinging to his side. He put a gloved hand on her shoulder and gave Makube a gimlet glare as they passed, presenting no opportunity to nab the little hellion. Seras and the soldier covered their exit, backing through the door with their guns pointed at the ones left behind. Father Michel took a step toward the door as it closed, a scowl creasing his brow.

"Let them go," said Makube, finally giving in to the pain that coursed through him from his injured foot. He struggled to rise from his kneel. Michel rushed over to help him limp to the couch. "We have no hope of retrieving them, and Hellsing _does_ protect those humans that they value. We will concentrate our efforts on finding the boy." After all, _he_ had the information Makube wanted. The parents knew nothing. Hellsing could have them.


	41. Great Escape 8: In Search of Ethan

**Great Escape Ch. 8: In Search of Ethan**

Ethan stepped off the train into a building that looked more like a warehouse than a greenhouse. Voices murmured and echoed all around him, the echoes having more room to bounce since the building only held a small fraction of the people it could contain.

He glanced around and winced as his stomach growled. He could have gotten something to eat on the train, but he'd taken the five hours of down time to count his funds and they weren't what he would call extensive. The ticket from Zurich to Vienna hadn't been cheap. It didn't help that he was wasting half of it.

He'd thought about asking someone to borrow their phone on the train, but then he'd thought about them asking questions. The last thing he needed was questions. He couldn't exactly run away if someone reported him to the authorities on the train when he refused to answer and he'd gotten enough sideways looks as it was, traveling alone at his age.

Food could wait. He needed to get back to France and the Chunnel train. He felt a pang in his chest as he thought of England. He didn't like being out on his own. He wanted to go _home_.

Gritting his teeth against the feelings of loneliness, he headed for the ticket counter. He should have time to pick an appropriate train to get him home.

That thought had just crossed his mind when he spotted the two men sitting on a bench near the door dressed in black robes with the tell tale white rectangle at the throat. One locked eyes with him as the realization that they were priests sunk in. The man's eyes flicked about, searching for…what? An adult? Were they watching for a twelve year old boy traveling alone?

The priest clapped his hand on his partner's knee, getting his attention as he rose. Ethan cursed under his breath, a word that would have made his mom hold him down and wash his mouth out with soap.

So much for having the time to buy the ticket he needed. There wasn't time to buy _any_ tickets. His eyes glanced frantically around the station, looking for an exit that wouldn't lead him past the priests.

There! He jumped toward the sign marked 'exit' in English alongside a German word that he could only assume meant the same thing. He only took a few steps before spotting another pair of black-clad priests coming from that direction.

Looking back, his heart jumped at how close the first two had gotten. They were going to trap him. The only place to run was deeper into the train station. No help for it. He took off in that direction. Maybe he could escape down the tracks.

Shouts erupted behind him, rough guttural German that he didn't understand and demands for him to stop in accented English. The shouting voices attracted attention and a pair of security guards appeared from between a pair of trains, blocking his path to the tracks. He slowed, looking around.

There! Was that a fire exit? He changed direction again, the six adult men close on his heels.

He thought he might make it and reached an arm out to hit the emergency release bar. The collar of his sweater suddenly constricted against his throat as a hand snagged the back of it, almost yanking him off his feet.

He whirled, the sweater riding up as the hand refused to let go. He squirmed, trying to break the grip. Six men surrounded him, the priests scowling as the security guards asked questions in harsh, demanding German.

Ethan's mind raced. Caught! Trapped! He could break free, but he might hurt someone and he'd definitely attract unwanted attention. Did this situation count as dire enough to use his strength and speed? A second priest reached for him and he decided it must. He had to get away.

Baring his teeth, he gave a vicious wrench with his shoulders, jerking away from the priest holding onto his sweater. The cloth ripped and he stumbled a bit as the grip that had held him up vanished. Another hand closed over his upper arm and he shoved in that direction.

The man that had grabbed his arm went sprawling onto his back. Someone shouted and more hands grabbed for Ethan. He blocked one and punched at the man's stomach like he had learned in class at Hellsing. The priest doubled over, clutching at his middle.

With two of his adversaries down, he had an opening. He bulled his way through, sending one of the security guards flying as he jumped into a flat out sprint. He didn't care who saw how fast he ran. All he cared about was making it to the exit. He hit the doors without pausing and stumbled with shock as the heavy glass and metal panels flew open, the right-hand one shattering as it rebounded off of the wall of the train station.

"I'm sorry!" He called the words over his shoulder as he forced himself to race down the stairs toward the street. He couldn't let himself worry about the consequences of the shattered door, now. His first priority was escape. Once he lost the priests, he had to find a phone. The Vatican would surely stake out the train station, so that plan was no longer possible. He had to contact Jezzie. He only hoped he could.

V^^^V

Chief Makube slammed the phone down. Incompetent fools! How could they lose a young boy, especially when they'd had their hands on him? He didn't quite believe their story of his strength and speed. Even the shattered door could be explained by a flaw in the glass. He was just a _boy_.

Makube turned on Father Michel.

"Get the car. I can't do anything more, here."

"Yes, father."

The man raced to comply. Makube picked the phone up and examined it, relieved to see that he hadn't actually damaged it. He'd ordered every Iscariot soldier in and around Munich to search for the boy and more would be arriving within the hour. They were working against the clock. It was only a matter of time before Hellsing found him and once Ethan was back in England, his chance would be gone. They didn't dare cross borders into England without going through the proper channels. Hellsing would be on high alert after this and Heinkel's botched kidnapping. They couldn't afford to trigger an international incident.

Makube saw the car pull up out front and sliding the phone in his pocket, he headed out the door. Father Sebastien tried to follow him but he shook his head.

"Stay here and play nice with the uncle."

"Yes, father."

Makube headed down the sidewalk toward the car. Climbing in the back seat, he pulled out the phone and stared at it. He didn't want to bring out their new operative. The man was a loose cannon in every sense of the word and the…enhancements weren't complete, yet, but if they didn't get Ethan, now, there might not be another chance until the boy was an adult. And there was the heir…outside of England. They might not have much of a chance at her, but even a vampire of Alucard's aptitude was a little weaker outside of his home territory.

He opened the phone to dial Rome. If they could keep the boy in Munich, Stephen would have a chance to find him.

V^^^V

Integra stood outside the hangar that had become their base of operations and took a deep lungful of cigar smoke. You really weren't supposed to inhale the things, but she'd ignored that rule almost from the moment she picked the first one up. The deep, measured breath, the entrancing glow of the cherry and the small dose of nicotine all helped to ease nerves strung taut with agitation.

Inside the hangar, Gary Wilson, IT tech and part time hacker bent over a laptop, wishing he had the set up he'd built back at Hellsing. They had learned from Mrs. Sumner that Ethan had her cell phone. If he could just hack through to the phone provider's protected files, he could get the phone's GPS signature and they would have a way to track the boy. He worked feverishly, well aware that the longer he took, the more likely it was that the Vatican would find Ethan first, if they hadn't already.

In the corner of the hangar, a sweaty and fatigued Jezebel faced off against her favorite person in the entire world.

"Still bored?" Alucard's question made the squad of Hellsing soldiers gathered around to watch chuckle. Jezebel narrowed her eyes at the monster.

"I wasn't bored."

The girl bared her teeth at the vampire and scooted in, low to the ground, lashing out with a foot in an attempt to knock him off balance. She didn't really expect it to work, and it didn't. Unfortunately, she forgot to keep her guard up and got a box to the ears for her trouble.

"You said you had nothing to do." The vampire grinned, circling around the girl in a low crouch that kept his head level with hers. The watching soldiers grinned, calling encouragement and enjoying the display of strength and agility the vampire exhibited. No human could maintain a stance that low for as long as Alucard had. Sometimes, the vampire's displays of supernatural ability were as comforting as they were unsettling…so long as the monster remained on their side.

"Having nothing to do isn't the same thing as being bored." Jezebel glared at Alucard, hyperaware of the eyes watching them and how the Hellsing soldiers might be assessing her skill…or lack thereof.

"You were whining."

That did it. The mocking grin on the vampire's face infuriated her. As much as she loved the creature, she was no stranger to his taunts, nor was she immune to them. With a yell, she launched herself at him with a flurry of punches and kicks.

The soldiers grinned at the Hellsing heir's ferocity. Her style left something to be desired, but they couldn't deny that she showed tenacity and a wild savagery that might frighten off a lesser foe with the display alone. Alucard grinned and took the first couple of blows before scooping the girl up and turning her upside down, holding her at the knees.

Jezebel thrashed in his grasp, still angry but fighting back giggles too. She never could stay completely angry with him. She twisted and something slipped from her pocket and bopped her on the nose as it tumbled to the ground.

She arched her back, straining to see what had hit her. She spotted her phone, face up on the ground, screen lit up with an incoming call. A spurt of excitement rushed through her belly.

"Phone! Alu, _phone_!"

The vampire lowered her to the floor and she scrambled to grab the device, swiping her thumb across the screen to accept the call.

"Hello?"

"Jezzie?"

"Oh my gawd, _Ethan_!" Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she couldn't have said why. She had proof that he was alive and okay. Why should she cry? But…what if he wasn't actually okay? Alive did not automatically mean safe. "Are you okay?"

"For right now, but I don't have much time. I think…I need to talk to Sir Integra…maybe Alucard, too."

"Yeah. Sure."

Alucard took the phone from her before she had a chance to hand it to him. She watched him head across the hangar, looking deceptively graceful for the speed he was moving at.

Integra looked up as the vampire phased through the hangar wall with Jezebel's phone in his hand. She never had figured out how he did that with the material objects on him.

"Ethan?"

"Yes, master." He held the phone out to her and she brought it to her ear.

"Sir Integra?"

"Yes, Ethan. Where are you?"

"Munich. I was trying to go back to England but I couldn't wait for the next train to England. The security guards and police were looking for me, I think. I was going to get a train ticket from Munich, but there were priests waiting for me. I'm sorry, Sir Integra. I…I think I hurt some of them. I don't know how bad. They had me trapped. I _had_ to get away!" He paused to take a breath and his voice rang with contrition. "Some people saw me run faster than I should…and I broke a door. I'm sorry."

Integra lifted an eyebrow at Alucard as he smirked at her, fully able to hear Ethan's side of the conversation as well as hers. She honestly had thought he would find a way to circumvent her orders and give Ethan the impression that he could use his new abilities at the slightest provocation. Apparently she had been mistaken.

"It's okay, Ethan. You've done exactly as you should. We will be heading for Munich."

Alucard turned to phase through the hangar wall to convey her order so they could start preparing the jet.

"Stay in Munich and try to move toward the airport if you can. We will be there in under two hours. Call this number again, then."

"I'll do my best. What if the priests find me?"

Integra frowned. This was reminiscent of Alucard seeking permission to release a seal. Walter had never consulted her before he acted. Why hadn't she ever thought that strange?

"Use your judgment. It has proven sound so far. Try to avoid an incident, but I release you to use your abilities if it becomes necessary."

"Thank-you, Sir Integra."

Integra couldn't forget the relief in his voice as she ended the call. She had to admit that Alucard might be right. Ethan was no Walter. He might actually turn out to be what Walter should have been.

**A/N: Hi, all. I am so sorry for deviating from my posting schedule. I have had a lot going on lately including finding out that I have to have surgery this month. It's a minor surgery, but it'll be my first time in a hospital since being born so I'm a little nervous about it and that's really killing the creativity right now. I have completed this story arc and will at least get it posted, but I think Formative Years may go on hiatus for a little while after that. I have plans to continue it, but I have to take care of my health, first. I love you all, and will do my best to respond to any reviews that I haven't gotten to yet. Also, chapters for A Chance Encounter should continue for the foreseeable future because I am very ahead in that one and have the remaining chapters at least planned out, so they shouldn't be horribly difficult to write. I thank everyone for their patience with me.**


	42. Great Escape 9: The Vatican's Prey

**Just real quick, I want to say thank you to everyone for being so understanding and for the well wishes for my surgery next week. I really appreciate the sentiments. Please enjoy the next chapter.**

**The Great Escape Ch. 9: The Vatican's Prey**

"Gary, you're with us." Integra strode through the hangar, soldiers standing and coming to attention as she passed. The American scowled at the computer screen in front of him, tapping away.

"Hold on. Almost there."

"Now, Gary. You have a built-in hotspot on that thing. Get your bloody ass on the jet, immediately."

Gary looked up at his boss as she glared down at him with that single blue eye. She didn't have to threaten him with a write up for insubordination. He knew she meant business, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Grumbling, he yanked the power cord free and threw the peripherals in his backpack. He kept the laptop open, letting a program run as he slung the bag over his shoulder and picked up the computer to head for the plane. Soldiers started packing up the camp at Integra's order and she left the operation in the capable hands of her commander as she boarded the jet, herself. The pilots had already begun the pre-flight check.

Jezebel had already climbed inside and strapped herself in, eager to get going so she could see Ethan again. It hadn't actually been that long since she saw him, but the stress of the situation threw her sense of passing time all out of proportion.

Integra took her seat as Alucard mounted the plane's stairs and Seras clambered up behind him. Gary and Simmons joined them along with a soldier Integra couldn't name but whose face was familiar to her. She made it a point to at least know the faces of her soldiers. Besides feeling it was her duty to know the faces of the men she put in harm's way, not knowing her soldiers made it too easy for a stranger to infiltrate their ranks. Watching the red-clad vampire seat himself, she narrowed her eye at him.

"You're certain you can't track him the way you can, Jezebel?"

Alucard shook his head at her question, a truly regretful look crossing his face.

"I have not tasted more than a couple of drops of his blood at any given time and he is no Hellsing. I have no connection to him, except that which the taste of his blood would provide and I could not feed on him because of the seal."

Integra sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, wishing she hadn't agreed to limit her cigar smoking around Jezebel. Her fingers itched to light up.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I order you to feed on Ethan as soon as he is safe and there is time…_without_ harming him more than is absolutely necessary."

"Yes, my master."

Integra's fists clenched at the smug smile that stretched across the monster's face. She would have liked to tell him off, but she'd learned that he would only take encouragement from that. Instead, she ignored him and sat back, crossing her legs and watching the soldiers load gear into the pair of helicopters that had brought them as she waited for the jet to taxi to the runway.

V^^^V

The man stood between two Iscariot priests, silver shackles on his wrists. Red welts marred the flesh where the shackles touched his skin. Haunting blue eyes glared hatred through limp strands of dirty blond hair. A metal collar circled the tanned skin of his throat, also raising red welts where it touched him. He was easily half a head shorter than everyone in the hangar, but he radiated scarcely contained ferocity and fury.

Makube scowled at the man, kept still by two thick metal poles attached to his collar and wielded by the priests on either side of him. Lithe, defined muscles moved under his swarthy skin as he shifted.

"How is his mind?"

The priest that stood next to Makube gave the shackled man a penetrating look.

"Who can say? He seems to understand orders, but he opens his mouth only to eat and utter blasphemy, as always."

Makube crossed the room to examine the man, Stephen, the Vatican's newest powerhouse. They still hadn't decided if he was actually useful to them or just another liability. The senior priest came back around to stare into those rage-filled eyes. He reached into his robes and pulled out a boy's jacket. He'd taken it from the suitcase of clothes that the Sumners had left behind at Henri's house.

"Give me your wolf's nose."

Stephen glared at him, a low growl rumbling up out of his chest. "What's wrong, priest? Lose your bedmate and need me to track him down for you?"

The third priest picked up a device that looked much like a smart phone and would pass for one in public, but it didn't make or receive calls. He activated the screen and pressed a thumb on an icon on the display.

Stephen winced and an involuntary pain sound escaped his throat. His glare shifted to the priest wielding the controls and then back to Makube.

He grimaced, almost a snarl. His eyes closed and his brow creased. His throat convulsed like he was gagging on something. His shoulders hunched and he shuddered as his mouth and nose started to bulge. The bottom half of his face elongated, sprouting a short layer of fine hairs. The tip of his nose broadened and flattened, coloring black with a slight pebbled appearance. Upper and lower fangs sprouted from his gums as his lips thinned down and pulled back. A long, pink tongue lolled out of a decidedly canine muzzle that morphed up into the rest of the human head, creating a seamless, grotesque whole.

Makube held the jacket up.

"Get the scent. This is your target. You will bring him in, _alive_. Do you understand? There will be dire consequences if the boy is killed or injured beyond saving. He _must_ be able to speak."

One of those canine lips lifted in a low growl, but the obscene head nodded, the blue eyes still retaining enough humanity to understand such an order.

"Send him out."

Makube stepped back as the priests with the poles forced Stephen to turn and guided him toward the door of the hangar. Once outside, they released the hooks in the collar, turned and retreated back to the hangar, pulling the door closed behind them. Makube watched through the window as the man cried out, his body crumpling in on itself as he completed the transformation that had begun with the muzzle.

Although he could take his forms at will, the shapeshifter's mind tended to take a backseat to the animal's instinct once he took on his full animal form. It had taken three deaths for them to learn that the best way to handle the creature was to point him in the direction they wanted him to go and flee to a safe place while he completed his transition…preferably a place with large amounts of steel and concrete between him and themselves.

Out on the tarmac, a tawny brown wolf shook itself from nose to tail and then sat back on its haunches to howl into the dark night sky. Makube wondered what the city dwellers thought of this mournful wolf's cry in the middle of their safe, sane city.

No matter. He turned away from the window and headed for the bank of computers where they would track the shapeshifter's whereabouts through the chip embedded in his spine, the only place they could put it without him being able to shift it out of his body.

V^^^V

Stephen…no last name…lifted his head and sniffed the air. Well, wolf-Stephen did, anyway. Human-Stephen watched through eyes that didn't feel like they belonged to him, like watching a virtual reality simulation that you might or might not be able to control.

He manipulated the wolf's mind like a rider with the reins of a horse. And like a horse, the wolf could buck him off or jerk the reins free and do as he pleased if he felt so inclined. Human-Stephen would be little more than a passenger in the vessel until sleep claimed the animal and his human genetics exerted themselves.

He hated it when that happened.

Wolf-Stephen cocked his head to the side. The scent was there, but it was in the wind. It could have originated anywhere. Human-Stephen reasoned out that he had been sicced on the owner of that scent. The scent was human and humans meant cities. He pushed the wolf's mind to head toward the smell of hot iron and sun-baked concrete. The wolf had no concept of 'city', but it knew the smell he sent to it and a moment later, they were off, racing across the airport toward the street.

V^^^V

Ethan looked over his shoulder, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. Was that a black cassock in the crowd behind him? No. Just a long trench coat. He shuddered and hurried to cross the street, just in case.

He'd tried asking for directions to the airport, but everyone kept trying to direct him back to the train station to get there. Naturally, he couldn't go back there and he couldn't explain why. He should probably call Integra again to explain the problem, but she'd told him to wait two hours. It had only been one hour.

His stomach growled and he looked longingly at a restaurant on the corner with the name 'WienerWald' in green across the top of the door. Unfortunately, it looked closed. He turned a corner and spotted the familiar golden arches that graced street corners in almost every city in the world. His stomach growled again and he looked furtively around the street. Staying in one place for too long didn't sound like a good idea, but he was _hungry_ and if Hellsing was coming to get him, he didn't have to worry about holding onto the money he had for travel.

Making a decision, he hurried across the street and stepped inside. The smell alone set his mouth to watering unbearably. With another furtive glance around the restaurant, he got in line.

The familiar menu of burgers and fries sat above the heads of the cashiers and it all looked delicious. Of course, by now, a cardboard box might look appetizing, provided he had enough catsup. His stomach rumbled loud enough that the customer in line in front of him turned to glance over her shoulder. He gave her a sheepish smile and tried to look innocent. The woman harrumphed and turned back toward the counter, moving forward as the next cashier opened up.

Ethan shuffled his feet, trying to keep a surreptitious eye on the entrance to the restaurant without seeming too obvious about it. It took the next cashier two tries to get his attention.

With a guilty start, he hurried forward and looked up at the menu. Best to order something he could eat on the go.

"I'll have a chicken nugget meal, please." The cashier didn't seem to mind his use of English and he knew the euros would be good here. He remembered from one of his economics courses that Germany had been one of the first countries to take euros.

Okay, now his mind was wandering. Must be the stress from staying on high alert constantly. The cashier took his money and handed him a cup for his drink. He took it to the soda fountain off to the side and filled it with ice and lemonade. He took a sip and then a larger one. He hadn't realized he was thirsty too. He drained about half the cup and looked up. His stomach flip flopped.

A man in a black cossack pushed the door to the restaurant open, eyes set on Ethan. Seeing that the boy had spotted him, he reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out a dull silver pistol. Ethan's stomach dropped as the first customer spotted the gun and screamed. What the hell was a _priest_ doing with a gun?! Okay. Dumb question. Heinkel had wielded guns. What was a priest doing with a gun in such a public place?

No time to worry about it. He bolted for the other side of the restaurant and realized with a spurt of adrenaline that there wasn't another door in the restaurant. He'd picked a place with only one door. What had he been thinking?

The priest shouted something in German and most of the people in the restaurant dropped to the ground. Ethan really liked the idea of hiding, but that would just get him caught. If this was just a crazy guy with a gun, hiding might work, but this was a crazy guy with a gun, looking for _him_.

Feeling frantic, the boy's eyes ripped round the building. There had to be a way out. A second black-clad figure pushed the door open. Two of them. Did these guys always travel in pairs?

He spotted a hallway that lead toward the restrooms and probably a kitchen or back room entrance. There had to be a back door.

Ethan dashed toward the hallway, intent on escape. He couldn't let them take him. He should never have stopped for food. If only he could get away, he'd suffer the hunger while he waited for Hellsing to find him and everything would be fine.

Halfway to the hallway, a shot rang out and he jerked instinctively at the sound. The glass window beside him shattered. Fiery pain flared along his shoulder and he cried out, reaching up to clutch at the wound. Warm blood spilled between his fingers, the pain and slippery fluid making his stomach roil with anxiety and nausea. Suddenly, he wasn't quite so hungry anymore.

He glanced over to see the priests striding toward him, the one with the gun sporting a crazed smile. He looked over at the shattered window. The guy really was crazy, but the bastard had given him his escape route.

Ethan turned, ignoring the flare of pain in his arm. He threw himself through the window, wincing as he stumbled, collecting a palm full of glass as he caught himself on the other side.

"You over-zealous fool! We had him and now you've let him get away!"

Ethan grimaced at the words. At least he wasn't the only one to think the priest with a gun was crazy. No time to ponder that, though. He had to flee.

He pushed himself up and took off down the street. The adrenaline coursing through him killed most of the pain in his arm. All that mattered at the moment was getting away.

Several blocks away, a sandy-colored wolf lifted his head and sniffed the air. A faint smell of blood drifted on the breeze, heavy with the scent that he was looking for. A mournful howl echoed through the dark streets, startling nearby pedestrians as the creature took off toward the scent.

**A/N: Before anyone asks, there is a reason I refer to Stephen as a shapeshifter and not a werewolf. You'll see in the next chapter. *wink***


	43. Great Escape 10: Shifter vs Vampire

**The Great Escape Ch. 10: Shapeshifter vs. Vampire**

"Got it!"

Jezebel jumped at Gary's outburst. Integra just gave him an irritated glance. It was about time the man achieved something. They were about to land in Munich.

"You had better be saying you've got the phone's GPS signature and not just access to the site," she said, giving the man a dark look. Jezebel had been fidgeting and asking if they were there yet for the last half hour and the head of Hellsing was just about on her last nerve.

"Of course." Gary gave Integra a superior smirk and she very nearly sicced Alucard on him. He held up a miniscule flash drive. "Just plug this into the tracker and you'll be good to go."

Integra reached out and took the flash drive from him just as the pilot announced their descent toward Munich. Now, they just hoped the boy was okay and waiting for them. She wasn't counting on it, though. The Vatican never made things that easy.

V^^^V

Ethan gingerly examined his wound through the rip in his sweater. It hadn't taken him long to ditch the priests pursuing him. They didn't have a prayer of catching him unless he allowed himself to be cornered. He had no intention of doing that again, no matter how loud his stomach got.

The bullet had only grazed him, ripping a long but shallow slash across his shoulder. It was little more than a bad scratch and had already stopped bleeding, but it chilled him. Just where had that priest been aiming to hit him in the shoulder? If he hadn't jerked when the gun went off, would he be dead, now? Dark anger coiled within his chest. How dare that man threaten _his_ life? He couldn't protect Jezebel one day if he died! He vowed to throw himself even harder into Alucard's training when he got home. He wished he could have been on the offensive against the priests, but he knew he wasn't ready for that yet.

In the distance, a faint wolf's howl drifted over the rumble and hum of the city at night. Ethan frowned and cocked his head to the side. Was he close to the zoo, perhaps? He couldn't imagine any other reason to hear a wolf's howl this deep in the city.

Shrugging to himself, he pulled out his mom's phone. It might not let him in to make a call, but he could check the time. After midnight.

That mean it was early Monday morning. Today was Jezzie's birthday. Ethan deactivated the phone and cursed under his breath, angry at his mom all over again. He was supposed to spend today hanging out with Jezzie at Hellsing. She hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of her birthday. Not after that girl, Chloe, had made such a big deal out of her not having a birthday. It was like she perversely refused to say she had a birthday, just so she could _be_ the weird girl without one. Maybe she just didn't want to make it seem like she _needed_ a birthday. It might make it seem like she was trying to be like everyone else. A wistful smile spread across Ethan's face. Of course that was it. Far be it from Jezzie to bow to the expectations or demands of her peers. She marched to the beat of her own drum and the rest of the world be damned.

He loved that about her. She backed down from nothing…not vampires, not demons or crazy Vatican priests, not peer pressure. Would she be running from the priests like he was?

For a moment, a spurt of shame turned his stomach. Frowning, he shook it off. Retreating in the face of a more powerful force was only cowardice if people were depending on you to protect or save them. The only thing he was protecting was himself and whatever it was the Vatican wanted out of him. Seen in that light, he was doing exactly what he should.

Still, he wondered if Jezebel would have confronted the priests in his place instead of just running. Knowing her, she would _and_ she'd find a way to come out on top doing it.

Ethan's head came up as another howl drifted on the evening breeze, sounding much closer than before. He frowned. Impossible. Wolves didn't roam city streets, even at night. He must be imagining it. Still, he probably should get moving. He'd learned what staying in one place got him.

Rising, he slung his mom's purse over his shoulder and set out at a fast walk…_away_ from the direction the howl had come from. Better safe than sorry.

He needed to find a phone. When he'd agreed to call Integra in two hours, he hadn't thought about what time it would be. He'd had a hard enough time finding someone that would let him borrow a phone just after ten. He had no idea where he could find someone to borrow one from, now.

Ethan stood, glancing up and down the street, trying to decide which direction was best to go in. To his utter shock, a huge, tawny wolf rounded the far corner and came to a stop as they locked eyes in the street lights.

It couldn't be possible, and yet it was there. The creature lowered its head, sniffing at the concrete. Had the Vatican sicced a _wolf_ on him? It was ridiculous, but then the creature's head came up and without a sound, it leaped into a flat out sprint in his direction.

Ethan turned and fled down the street. Impossible or not, he had to trust the evidence of his own eyes. The thud of huge paws and the scratch of claws on concrete seemed to grow closer behind him. He pushed himself into a spurt of speed no human could ever hope to match. He dashed around a corner, having to slow to make the turn.

A heavy weight slammed into his back and he went down, the breath driven out of his lungs. He hit the ground and twisted, trying to fight the thing off even as he gasped in an attempt to reopen his lungs.

Snarls echoed from the walls on either side of the street and sharp teeth closed on his arm. He shouted with pain and boxed the wolf on the ear. It released him with a surprised snort and then snarled.

The squeal of tires rounding a corner far too fast echoed down the street. Was it the Vatican coming for him? He tried to box the wolf's ears again and it lunged for his throat. He threw his arms up again and took another deep bite almost right on top of the last one.

He screamed, the pain doubled by the bite he'd just taken. A shot rang out, the gun's retort echoing up and down the street. The wolf yelped and seemed to fly off of him, its weight disappearing entirely.

Ethan flipped over and scrambled to his feet, almost sobbing in relief at the sight of the man in a red duster and fedora striding down the sidewalk, guns in hand. His body shook with the adrenaline and pain racing through him, but he couldn't let that stop him. He raced for the vampire and the trio of blonds behind him.

Seras lifted her assault rifle as Ethan stumbled to a halt beside Jezebel, clutching his arm to his chest. Simmons hurried up, a large first aid kit in his hands.

"Ethan!" Jezebel hugged him around the shoulders, trying to avoid his bitten arm. She jumped back when he yelped from the pressure she accidentally put on the bullet graze on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry!"

"It's okay." He gave her a watery smile. "It's not as obvious as the bite."

A low, hair-raising snarl echoed up and down the dark street and Alucard's manic laugh followed it. Ethan and Jezebel looked up as Simmons set to bandaging Ethan's wounds.

The wolf had landed in a pool of light cast by a dim streetlight. It staggered to its feet, the snarl coming from that canine mouth, jagged teeth viciously bared. Jezebel blinked, wondering if she was seeing what wasn't there. Did all wolves have fangs that long and sharp?

The wolf snarled again and this sound had as much pain in it as anger. It seemed to collapse forward and Jezebel thought it might be injured until she realized its front legs had pulled back into its body. It convulsed and the fur receded, leaving glistening scales behind. Two great, spiky limbs ripped out of the shoulders as the body thinned and elongated. The fingers of the limbs flicked out, spreading wide, leathery wings.

The creature reared back on its rear legs, looking like an unholy marriage between a massive snake and a bigger bat. Nothing about it looked remotely wolfish anymore.

"What _is_ that?" Simmons had paused in his efforts to bandage Ethan's arm, his eyes grown wide. As a Hellsing soldier, he'd seen a lot of things that would send most people scrambling for cover to cower in abject fear, but he'd never seen anything like that. Only his proximity to the head and heir of Hellsing kept him in place as the thing launched itself into the night sky. It disappeared to his poor, limited mortal eyes and it took a supreme act of willpower to wrench his attention back to Ethan's wounds.

"Is it a wurm?" Seras asked.

"Not in its natural state," Integra said, peering up into the dark night. "Some type of shapeshifter, but nothing I'm familiar with. I've never seen nor read of a were that could take any form that doesn't exist in the natural world, much less assume more than one form in addition to its base form."

That couldn't be good. If Integra didn't know what it was, then possibly Alucard didn't either.

A shot rang out over their heads as Alucard aimed at the night sky above them. Seras also had her assault rifle trained above them. Simmons drew a breath of relief at the proof that the vampires, at least, could see the thing in the darkness.

A massive shadow flickered through the streetlight above and behind them, the winged form rocking as another bullet roared out of Alucard's Sulimov. Was he actually _missing_? Simmons had never seen Seras miss and he could only assume Alucard's aim was even better.

"It's a were. Can't you smell it, police girl?" Alucard grinned up into the night, looking like a kid in a candy store. His head turned, following a flight path the humans could only guess at.

"It smells similar…but something is different, master. I don't understand."

Alucard chuckled, his grin widening.

"Modified…at a genetic level. Remember how the FREAKs smelled different from you and I? The same difference exists between this creature and a were."

"Oh…_oh_!"

Seras's eyes flew wide as Alucard's laugh echoed all around them.

"Destroy it, Alucard." Integra's cold, hard voice broke through the laughter and Alucard's head shifted, coming down to peer at the woman over the rim of his orange-tinted spectacles.

"Yes, my master." His grin widened to bare his fangs and the eyes showing over those spectacles glinted with a look that belonged in the bedroom more than the streets of Munich. "Come, police girl!"

Simmons swallowed hard as both vampires bled to shadow and launched themselves into the sky. He'd heard that Seras could fly, but he'd never seen it and he hadn't known Alucard could as well, although it stood to reason that if the child could, then so too could the master.

"They fly!" Jezebel gasped the comment, a grin stretching across her features.

"Only occasionally," Integra said, staring up into the night sky. "Separation from the Earth weakens them and can become painful if prolonged."

Well, that explained it, as well as their difficulties crossing water. Simmons only hoped the weakness didn't prevent them from handling this genetically engineered…thing. Although, he honestly couldn't imagine anything powerful enough to pose a serious threat to Alucard.

V^^^V

Human-Stephen snarled inside the head of the serpent. They hadn't told him the vampires could _fly_! He'd already taken several hits and those bullets were silver. While he had some immunity to them, they still stung and caused the beasts to balk at his control. Bat-Stephen wanted to flee into the night. Serpent-Stephen wanted to strike and then flee. Human-Stephen knew that they had to snatch the boy before they could flee. If he returned without his target, there would be hell to pay.

He wheeled on one wing tip and a bullet whizzed past his head. He faltered as bat-Stephen bucked, desperate to protect the wings that would mean a bat's livelihood in the wild, never mind that the shifter could heal the injury with a simple transformation. Bat-Stephen didn't understand that.

Yanking on the mental reins, he regained a touch of control as the bat and serpent instincts battled it out in his head with two different responses to the same threat. Eventually, it would all coalesce into the flight instinct and they would wrest control from him. It was only a matter of time. He had barely been able to channel the wolf's rage at being shot into the transformation.

He had to get the boy, _now_. Bringing forth a touch of the raptor instinct buried within him, he sprouted pinion feathers over the webs of his bat wings as he climbed higher into the sky. He slipped through the air as more bullets whizzed past. Several pierced the membranes of his wings and he sprouted more feathers to compensate. He preferred the mind and instinct of the bat over the raptor. The cold simplicity of the bird's brain baffled his mammalian thought processes, as did the reptilian serpent, but bringing the three of them forth together pressed the boundaries of his admittedly limited sanity. He couldn't keep this up for long.

Feeling the air begin to thin, he wheeled in the sky and tucked his wings close to his sides, plunging in a steep dive. He blinked, exchanging the serpent's eyes for the raptor's and zeroed in on his target.

With the strength of gravity adding to the speed of his dive, he plunged past the vampires, the wind of his passage knocking them back. The one dressed in yellow went tumbling through the sky, fighting for control. The other dissolved into a horde of shadowy bats and a dark, maniacal laugh echoed through the sky. All three instincts screamed in unison to _flee_ at the sound of that laugh. Only the steep dive that resembled panicked retreat allowed him to maintain a vestige of control.

He thought he might, possibly, make it as the ground rushed up at him with a speed that made his human brain scream in terror.

Three shots rang out and burning pain ripped through his midsection. The three animal instincts screamed in unison, a sound escaping his mouth that resembled a hissing screech. The wings spread, utterly out of his control and he leveled out, the momentum of his stoop sending him careening over the rooftops, keening in pain as he went. Human-Stephen fought and railed in the prison of his own mind as the animal instinct to flee took control, but all he could do was dread the consequences of his failure when the Vatican brought him home. If he'd been able to, he would have wept.

**A/N: So, yeah. I like Stephen. I like him a lot. I have some ideas for future stuff to do with him, they're just not clear at the moment and it will probably be a little while before I write them. There will be one more chapter, an epilogue for this story arc and then this story will be going on hiatus for a little while. I do have plans for Jezebel to grow up more. Eventually, this story will reach into her late teens, at least, but I've finished a single year in Jezzie's life and it's over 100k words. O.o That's a lot for me. I'm not sure the rest of the years will be that long, but I do promise to get to them soon. Right now, I am going to finish A Chance Encounter and then come back to this one. I think I need to stick to one story at a time. *grin***

**Just an interesting note…I was writing the part of this story where Ethan was thinking that it was Monday morning and therefore Jezzie's birthday. Just out of curiosity, AFTER I wrote that, I did a little search online and found that October 13 of 2031 falls on a Monday. O.o That sort of blew my mind. Lol.**


	44. Great Escape 11: Going Home

**So, at long last, here's the epilogue for the Great Escape story arc that I promised you guys, all of three months ago. I didn't post it because I honestly thought it sucked and I haven't had the mental energy to spare to fix it until now.**

**So, I read through ****Legacy of Hellsing**** and ****The Formative Years**** over the last couple of days. What does it mean when you get to the end of your own story and wish there was more? *grin* So, yes. I'm going to try to add some chapters to ****The Formative Years**** since ****A Chance Encounter**** is complete. Don't expect a regular posting schedule. I'll come to this when I'm hung up on my original work with writer's block or a bit of research I'm needing to do that can't be Googled. Like I've said in the past, I have lots of ideas for this storyline, it's just a matter of getting to them.**

**The Great Escape Ch. 11: Going Home**

Seras landed, her knees bending to take the force of the impact as shadows writhed over her left side, slowly coalescing into her arm. Beside her, a mass of shadowy bats whirled in a cyclonic dance, coming together to form the tall, grinning figure of Alucard. Simmons shuddered as he packed up the first aid kit. Would he ever get used to that?

"Report, Alucard."

"It escaped."

The head of Hellsing narrowed her eye at the vampire and walked over to glare up into his grinning face.

"You are capable of hitting a mark at a distance of over one kilometer. What do you _mean_, it escaped?"

"It is resilient, as are most weres, but this one appears to have a resistance to silver as well. It was moving at over two hundred kilometers per hour when it pulled out of the stoop. Even I cannot match that speed."

Integra clenched her fists and turned away from the vampire. Undaunted by her anger, he stepped around her and headed toward Ethan, stopping to stare down at the boy. Ethan looked up and swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry, Alucard. I couldn't fight it off or outrun it. I tried."

The monster stared down at the boy, a stern look on his face and then the corner of his mouth quirked up.

"You are making progress."

Aluard knelt in front of the boy and reached out to take the bitten arm that now sported a new bandage. He tugged the medical tape off and Simmons sighed, wondering why he'd bothered.

"It was in wolf form when it bit you, correct?" Ethan nodded as Alucard examined the punctures. Integra frowned and moved over to look down at the wound.

"Bitten by a werewolf," she said and that statement seemed to trigger a realization for everyone else. Assuming legend was correct, that bite was full of contagion. "Will your blood counteract it, Alucard?"

"I don't know." He cocked his head at Ethan as though the boy represented a curious puzzle. Ethan took a deep breath.

"Am I going to be like that…thing?"

"We don't know," Integra said. "We'll have to wait for the next full moon to find out."

Ethan bit his lip and a worried line creased his brow. "What happens if I am?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Ethan looked like he wanted to argue but he just nodded his head. Integra sighed.

"Master, he has lost blood, but his heartbeat is strong. Does your previous order stand?"

"How much would it take?" Integra asked as Ethan looked back and forth between them, trying to figure out what they meant.

"No more than a couple of swallows." Alucard grinned at the boy with a mischievous glint in his eye as he answered his master.

"Do it, but explain it to him, first." Integra reached into the breast pocket of her suit jacket to pull out a cigar.

"Alucard?" Ethan's voice sounded nervous. Although he trusted the Hellsings by now, he knew they sometimes needed him to submit to some unpleasant experiences.

"I will be tasting your blood, Ethan. It is necessary so that I can track you as I can Jezebel."

"So I don't have to worry about mom taking my phone away again. You'd be able to find me."

"Precisely." The fang-baring grin that spread across Alucard's face looked decidedly predatory. Integra lit her cigar and took in a lungful of smoke as she watched the two of them. Ethan took a deep breath and lifted his chin, giving tacit approval. The vampire chuckled.

Ethan swallowed hard as Alucard lifted the boy's wrist to that fanged mouth. A deep, gut instinct screamed at him to flee. The thought of those fangs sinking into his flesh sent a shiver of dread down his back, but he held his ground.

The vampire opened his mouth, wrapping an impossibly long tongue around the small wrist. His fangs pressed against the thudding pulse, but not in a position to pierce. Instead, Alucard used his needle sharp front incisors to nip at the flesh, drawing blood without sinking fangs into the boy.

Ethan's breath hissed out through his teeth as pain shot up his arm, but it wasn't bad. The werewolf bite stung considerably more.

Alucard's eyelids drooped closed as he sucked on the small wound, having to work to get a mouthful of blood out of the shallow cut. Jezebel leaned against Integra's leg as she watched the tableau and Seras guarded their backs, keeping her eyes and ears open, even as the scent of blood made her fangs ache. She would have to break down and take blood when they got home.

Simmons turned his back and headed for the car. He couldn't stand there and watch Alucard feed on a kid, no matter how necessary he knew it was. It just felt…wrong.

Alucard very carefully took two shallow swallows and then swiped his tongue over the cut to seal it. Ethan took his wrist back and rubbed the spot as the vampire leaned back on his heels, eyes closed. His tongue flicked out to catch a last, stray drop and he rose to his feet.

"It's enough, master."

"Good." Integra took one last inhale of her cigar and broke the cherry off with her bare fingers, dropping it on the ground to crush it out. She put the remainder of the cigar away, and turned toward the car. "It's time to go home."

"Sir Integra?" She paused and looked at Ethan over her shoulder. He hadn't moved. "My parents. They're…"

"In England, by now," she said, interrupting him. "We found them in Zurich and took them from the Vatican priests that tried to capture you."

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. Angry with them or not, he had worried about leaving them alone with the Vatican priests. Integra smiled and continued toward the car. Whether the boy realized it or not, his loyalty had been tested with this incident. He'd stuck with his parents and obeyed them right up until it became obvious that Hellsing might be at risk because of them. He could have cooperated with the Vatican, told them everything he knew. He might have even come out of it unscathed if he'd kissed enough ass, but he hadn't. After interrogating Mrs. Sumner, Integra knew he'd placed his loyalty to Hellsing over that to his parents with nary a second thought. She hated that he had been put in a position that forced him to make such a choice, but she couldn't fault the outcome.

Jezebel matched her steps to Ethan's as they followed Integra to the car. She wanted to hug him again but didn't dare lest she squeeze an injury. She'd been so worried about him.

"How do you feel?" Sure, it was an asinine question, considering the answer should be obvious, but she asked it anyway. Ethan gave her a sardonic smile.

"Hungry. And sore. But mostly hungry."

"Maybe we can stop for something to eat on the way back to the airport."

In front of them, Integra turned her head ever so slightly to the side, taking note of their conversation.

"That would be awesome." His stomach chose that moment to growl and Jezebel grinned at him. "Happy birthday, by the way."

The girl tilted her head to the side, giving him a quizzical look.

"It's not my birthday, yet."

"Sure it is. It's after midnight. That means it's your birthday."

Jezzie frowned, her mind casting back to where she'd been at that moment, a year ago. Probably on a train, heading to England. Maybe still in Italy, but she'd been with Alucard and Seras by then. A slow smile spread across her face.

"It's been a year." She touched the bracelet on her wrist, the one that had become such an important part of her. She didn't need it to feel like a Hellsing anymore, but she wore it anyway. It meant more to her than anything else she'd ever owned.

Integra stopped at the rear door of the car. Simmons was already there, pulling it open for her.

"Ethan, you'll ride in the middle back here. Jezebel, you can ride on Alucard's lap."

A grin stretched across her face as she raced around to the other side of the car where the vampire had already slipped into the seat. She climbed up into his lap as Ethan took his spot in the middle of the seat. Integra joined them, marveling at how comfortable the children were with the smirking monster that she'd seen consume half of a major metropolis. What would they think if they'd seen what she had? Reminding herself that they'd both seen the vampire at his level two release, she had to admit that they'd at least gotten a taste of his ferocity, if not his capacity for evil.

"So, what are we doing for your birthday, besides going home?" Ethan smiled at Jezzie as he buckled his seatbelt. Jezebel drooped, letting her head rest against Alucard's chest. Integra pulled her door shut as the girl sighed and shrugged.

"Probably not much. I'm in trouble. Grounded for a month."

Ethan's eyes widened in shock. In the front seat, Simmons started the car and put it into gear.

"What did you _do_?" For a child barely turned twelve, a month was an eternity.

"I sort of…well. I snuck out of the house looking for you." Jezzie gave him a sheepish smile. "I stole one of Seras's credit cards to take a taxi. I should have called Sir Integra, but…I was _worried_ about you."

Ethan blinked at his friend, shocked at her cursory explanation of what she'd done.

"You took a taxi? All by yourself? With a stolen credit card?"

Jezzie bit her lip and nodded.

"Jezzie! Are you crazy? What if those priests had been at my house? They could have taken you!"

"I know!" Jezzie glanced at Integra who was looking out her window with a satisfied smirk creasing her face. "_Believe_ me, I know. Why do you think I'm grounded?"

Ethan looked up at Integra and sighed.

"You should be," he said with a huff, "although, it sucks that you're grounded for your birthday. I guess it's sort of my fault."

Integra turned to eye her heir, but Jezzie was already shaking her head.

"No. If anything, it's your parents' fault, but really, it's my fault. I should have called Sir Integra instead of going after you on my own. Although, I still say it was partly Matheson's fault. He wouldn't listen to me when I told him something was wrong."

"Jezebel." Integra didn't have to say more than the girl's name in that warning tone of hers. Jezzie seemed to deflate, sagging against Alucard. The vampire looked on, an amused smirk plastered across his face.

"I know," the girl muttered. "Don't blame other people for my choices." She sighed and closed her eyes, looking utterly defeated.

"Simmons, stop at that McDonald's coming up on our left. I think all the humans in the car could stand to have something to eat."

Ethan perked up at this command and even Jezzie looked interested. She'd had a meal in Switzerland, but her stomach was starting to growl.

"So, is this my birthday meal?" She gave Integra a wan smile as they pulled into the parking lot. The head of Hellsing sighed and lifted an eyebrow at the girl.

"No. This is your first birthday with Hellsing. We'll have a proper dinner, later. Ethan can stay for that. Alucard will need time to work with his parents, anyway. It's your phone and your outings that you're grounded from, not your meals or your birthday."

Jezzie's countenance perked up. She grinned at Integra and snuggled into Alucard, looking forward to going home. A year ago, today, she'd had no real concept of 'home'. Now, she couldn't imagine life without it.

**A/N: Out of sheer curiosity, I wonder how many people would like to see Ethan actually end up infected by the were? I'll make my own decision about it in the end, but right now, I have ideas in both directions, so I'm curious about what people think of it.**


End file.
